By Marie Cyprien, A+ Editing & Content Creation
Pompano Beach – In January 2020, Jessica Gollel was excited to announce that her family was planning to open one of the first food halls in Broward County, The Bite Eatery, located at 2715 East Atlantic Blvd., in the Harbor Village Shops.
However, like many other family-owned businesses, the pandemic halted plans for that food hall. Gollel and her family grew concerned for the state of the restaurant industry as the COVID-19 pandemic began to gain momentum.
As Gollel told New Pelican, “In March we didn’t know where the restaurant world was going to go. We weren’t sure we could even do the food hall and be successful with it.”
But Gollel’s confidence has returned after she remodeled the space for the food hall. So much so, that she predicts it will open sometime in early 2021.
Food halls are a new kind of concept in South Florida. Similar to food courts in malls, along with restaurants having their own kitchens and an area for customer service, dining in food halls is in one central location.
The Bite Eatery so far has an Italian restaurant called Casareccio, and Jupiter Donuts, a donut shop set to open. According to the Bite Eatery’s website, there’s room for six more food vendors. The Bite Eatery will also have a full-service bar, serving wine and liquor. Another thing that sets the eatery a part from others is its use of technology. “We will be using a Point of Sale tablet technology that will be provided on each of the tables so that consumers may browse and order menu items of all the restaurants right from their table,” their website states.
In addition, the owners of these restaurants will be able to focus on their space while the food hall focuses on the rest. Gollel says, “You have an almost full-service restaurant near the beach… But you are only paying a tiny fraction of the cost. They’re only responsible for their unit and the food they cook …You provide the bites and The Bite provides the rest.”
In regard to precautions that will be taking place at the food hall, Gollel confirms that cleanliness and social distancing will be important. As she told the New Pelican, “we’re going to have a very COVID-spaced zone. Our goal is to keep our consumers concentrated at their table as much as possible.”
Interested in being a vendor, call 561-797-0017.
