Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/838473
Summer Fancy Food Show Booth 220B UNION FARE Flexible Dining Concept Wins Big in Union Square Combined, Union Fare's restaurant and gas- trohall occupy 24,000 square feet of retail space in a landmarked former mercantile exchange near Manhattan's Union Square. Since it opened in May 2016, Union Fare has quickly captured the daytime loyalties of neighborhood tech firms and fashion-brand staffers with its bakery, food hall options, and laid-back communal atmosphere. "We thought about running this just as a restaurant, but we realized we could capture thousands of people each week— as opposed to hundreds—if we opened this all up as communal seating," says Development Director Ryan Harris. "We wanted to be a community space during the day. It's a comfortable and beautiful space, and there's no pressure to leave. It creates kind of a nice community." In the evening, Union Fare caters to residents and tourists from nearby hotels, seamlessly transforming into a fine-dining space with an adjacent sports bar and a base- ment speakeasy. WHOLE FOODS BRYANT PARK Destination Shopping Near Times Square Whole Foods Market's new Bryant Park store caters to Midtown's wide-ranging customer base—residents, office work- ers, daily commuters, and tourists from around the globe—with a primary focus on prepared culinary offerings from some of the City's most recognizable chefs and producers. These include Italian classics from Frankies Sputino, traditional Japanese omakase by Genji Sushi, and a raw bar in partnership with Chef Daniel Boulud. The 43,000-square-foot store also features two levels of retail space filled with the natural and organic foods customers have come to expect from Whole Foods Market. For harried New Yorkers still fight- ing the good fight to get a healthy home- made meal on the table after a long day at work, the new location's produce depart- ment offers the services of the Produce Butcher—a Whole Foods staff member who will cut, slice, dice, julienne, chop, and grate any produce item upon request. store tour Amy Blankstein is a freelance writer and former grants and communications director for Just Food NYC. PHOTO: UNION FARE 116 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE specialtyfood.com