New-look food hall prepares to launch  

94-QVM-Food-Hall-1.jpg
94-QVM-Food-Hall-2.jpg
94-QVM-Food-Hall-3.jpg
Brendan Rees

Queen Victoria Market’s new food hall is nearing completion with traders expected to begin fitting out their stalls early this year. 

The $5.5 million revamp of the old food court hit a milestone in December with the City of Melbourne announcing a new steel roof had been installed. 

“Work is now underway to install essential services, complete the façade and fit out the building’s internal walls and spaces, before we can hand over the new sites to traders early in the new year,” Lord Mayor Sally Capp said.

“The contemporary and inviting food hall will be a vibrant indoor dining destination for the market, enticing more visitors to the precinct and making it even easier for traders to run their businesses.”

“It will replace the market’s existing 1980s food court, which was outdated and hampered the potential for traders to innovate and trade.”

 

The new space promises to offer a diverse range of cuisine styles and beverage offerings across takeaway, casual dining and restaurants.  

 

Features include new flooring, a modern fit-out with new services and amenities, more greenery and additional space for people to sit and eat. 

The project, which kicked-off in February last year as part of the market’s $260 million precinct renewal program, has faced delays after existing underground services were found to be in poor condition and required upgrading.

This was also coupled with construction industry delays, including a shortage of materials and challenges with sub-contractor resourcing.

While construction is under way, pedestrians and vehicles are being diverted around the site. The rest of the market remains open.

As part of the new-look food hall, expressions of interest were sought in 2021 for cuisine and food specialities, with existing food court owners also able to apply, but as CBD News reported last year, it left two shops – Café Verona and Funk Fish – unsuccessful in their bid to have their leases renewed. •

 

Caption: A new steel roof had been installed at the new food hall, which will open soon.

 

 

Since Labor has been in power …

Since Labor has been in power …

March 20th, 2024 - Evan Mulholland
Like us on Facebook