Michael Graham began selling lemonade as a teacher – to other teachers – in 2018 in hopes of one day building his brand and launching his own business.
Graham, 43, was dedicated to his juice craft and wanted to support teachers by giving them healthy drinks to power them through the day.
Two years later, the COVID-19 pandemic stopped his business and put his long-term goals on standby. That is, until a friend asked Graham for some lemonade, reminding him of what he really loves.
“Oh yeah, I do that,” Graham said.
Graham’s business started to boom. He decided to bottle it up and sell it at a Gainesville farmer’s market. He wanted to take his local success and expand. Then when Gainesville’s City Food Hall opened in late August, Graham seized the opportunity to join the line-up.
“The Teacher’s Ade” is one of the first vendors you come across in the food hall. As you enter and turn right, Graham is there blending one of his lemonade creations for a customer.
Located at 150 NW 13th St., City Food Hall operates like a business incubator for restaurants. It gives customers a chance to try new food while also helping up-and-coming vendors get exposure.
With a full-size bar in the middle of the food hall, hundreds of people can gather around and drink with family and friends. Ten food vendors surround the bar displaying vibrant signs and colorful menus showcasing options from bagels to sushi and Jamaican cuisine.
“Now that COVID has kind of passed and we’re now facing newer things in the society, we just want to be able to bring hope back,” said Jeff Ninan, general manager of City Food Hall.
In the post-pandemic era, many restaurants have struggled as new trends emerge. Home-delivered food and drive-throughs became the norm, hurting smaller businesses that couldn’t compete. But food halls have been able to not only last, but also grow.
According to Garrick Brown Real Estate Consulting, there were 28 food halls in North America in 2010. Today, there are 343, up from 244 in 2020, a 40% increase since the pandemic.
“We have actually thrived during COVID, we were established in 2021, so pretty much as COVID was ending we kind of popped off,” said Adrian Pate, the operations manager of burger vendor Smash City.
With the addition of delivery systems like UberEATS and DoorDash, local restaurants like Smash City have been able to stay in the game. Now they are focused on building their brand and eventually set up their own location.
“We got our craft right and are just looking to grow,” said Pate, 38. “It seemed like a good opportunity to get in here and sell some burgers to some Gators.”
In 2015, 30% of food halls were in New York City. The vast majority of the others were in larger markets like Los Angeles, Chicago and Boston. While Gainesville may not be the primary target market for food halls, being a college town has had its perks.
“We love the location, being across the University of Florida, in the heart of the community,” Ninan said. And students have taken notice.
“Having a place to socialize and be at that isn’t a typical college bar makes for a great night out with friends, food and music,” said 21-year-old UF student Ceci Edelberg. She also said it’s easier on her wallet than many other venues.
“Walking around Gainesville you find some of the most expensive restaurants,” Edelberg said. “This food hall is a nice place to find a meal you enjoy without having to pay a ridiculous amount of money.”
One of Gainesville’s most popular burger restaurants, Ford’s Garage, a burger is sold between $15 to $17 while City Food Hall’s Smash City sells them for less than $14. Vendors also tend to save money instead of opening a store of their own.
According to Garrick Brown Consulting, food halls have around five to six different costs, including food, labor and occupancy – adding up to an 8.4% profit margin. On the restaurant side, there are eight to nine different spending costs including maintenance, utility and equipment – creating up to a 2.2% profit margin.
With a smaller space, vendors also need fewer people to work, contrasting with a typical brick and mortar restaurant that may need dozens of employees to operate.
Although City Food Hall is a new feature on the Gainesville food landscape, there are still growing pains.
“I came to the food hall for a quick meal and instead waited 40 minutes to get my food causing me to rush to my next class,” said 21-year-old UF student Jacob Horwitz.
Though City Food Hall is just beginning, vendors say they understand that ultimately, customers just want good food, fast. They said City Food Hall is capable of both, but acknowledge they still have a way to go.
“When you want to reach your vision, sometimes you have to make adjustments along the way,” Graham said.
