Restaurant collective targets Atlanta

Jamal Wilson, developer of The Hall restaurant-collective business Restaurant collective targets Atlanta

Photograher: Nola Laleye

Jamal Wilson, the developer behind The Hall on Franklin in Tampa, Florida, signed a lease for a 17,323-square-foot storefront in Atlanta, marking the first time the restaurant collective will open a location outside its home state. Wilson estimates the investment in building out the Atlanta location will be $2.8 million.

The Hall concept differs from traditional food halls in that it employs a full-service waitstaff — so instead of the hunt-and-gather feel of a food hall, patrons can sit at a table, order from multiple vendors and pay a single check. Wilson also has a site under construction in Orlando, Florida, and has signed a deal to launch a second location in Tampa. He told the Tampa Bay Business Journal he’s scouting locations in Nashville, Tennessee; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Gainesville, Florida, as well.

"As bad as Covid has been for our industry and everyone else, it’s also opened retail spaces that wouldn’t have been available to me or anyone else," Wilson said. "[Tenant improvement dollars] have increased, spaces have opened up, and developers are looking for tenants."