According to Colicchio Consulting’s latest report, “The State of Food Halls 2026,” the segment experienced an overall growth rate of 24.89 percent since 2023, the last year the report was issued. The 2026 report examines the most impactful trends shaping food halls across the commercial, mixed-use, student-housing, retail and hospitality sectors, including key takeaways from industry leaders and data from the more than 500 food halls that have opened in the U.S. since researchers began tracking the segment in 2014.

Hospitality groups, mixed-use real estate developers, retail developers, public/private partnerships, and universities/student housing developers are “leading the pack” when it comes to investing in food halls, Trip Schneck, managing partner, Colicchio Consulting, told Hotel Management. “For investors, food halls provide a dynamic and resilient amenity that can withstand change and often become community hubs,” Phil Colicchio, principal at Colicchio Consulting, added.

The report specifically examines trends from evolving guest preferences in food & beverage, the growth of the segment by market, the significant impact of entertainment on food hall revenues and how socialization and automation are driving food hall design. Research was gathered from a database of several hundred 458 operating food halls across the United States, and notes that at least 114 more projects are in the pipeline for 2026 and beyond.

Among the key trends:

• Food hall development continues to increase exponentially across the U.S., with the number of projects increasing 24.89 percent between 2023 and 2025, reflecting both new openings and sustained pipeline activity.


• 18 new food halls are slated to open in the US within the next six months, averaging eight vendors and 19,000 square feet each. Three of these projects are located in urban cores, while 15 are situated in suburban or peripheral markets, reinforcing the continued geographic decentralization of the format. “Suburban markets are currently reaping the ‘benefits’ of the post-pandemic hybrid work model,” said Andrew Colicchio, managing director, Colicchio Consulting . “Suburbs offer guest convenience and highly flexible space for both development and redevelopment, space that many cities currently lack. Evening programming of social events is booming in the [suburbs].”


• 96 additional projects are in the pipeline to open in 2026. Of these, approximately 26 are located in urban markets and 70 in suburban or peripheral markets.


• At the state level, Florida leads with 17 planned projects, followed by California (11), New York (11), Texas (9) and Georgia (9).

Taken together, these figures illustrate a national food hall movement that has matured and continues to accelerate. Operators continue to refine their models, developers remain engaged, and the public appetite for social, flexible and entertaining dining environments remains strong.