A Tale of Two Premium Street Food Experiences

Street Food is a global phenomenon. But it's not new. I'm sure if you walk down the streets of Ho Chi Minh City or Shanghai, you'll find street food carts that have been handed down through generations of the same family. Colleagues of ours once took a major retailer on a tour of these markets as we looked to inspire them in Food To Go. Buzzy, exciting, fresh food theatre gives consumers an amazing experience and doesn't dent the pocket that much.

Street Food in the UK has grown in a big way over the past 15 years. From small indie stalls in your local market to big indoor venues backed by big investors, the category has premiumised and matured. There are some great stories out there of passionate street food operators 'making good' and turning their business into a bricks and mortar outlet or a small chain. Our two favourites are Daddy Donkey - London's best Mexican burritos - and The Cheese Bar - a restaurant with all things cheese and an option now is their water-based Cheese Barge. Both started with small mobile vehicles and now have a decent estate growing them those humble origins.

London is typically a home for indoor street food markets, such is the demand for quick, convenient hot food. We've seen some big developments recently which have included top-spec street food experiences and thought we'd check them out. They are very different with significantly different levels of investment, but is the 'showpiece' venue better than the other one???

Arcade Food Hall, Battersea

At last count, $10bn has been spent on the redevelopment of Battersea Power Station and its surrounding areas. A lot of cash. In fairness, the results are spectacular with a large number of shops and restaurants, plus leisure options for kids and adults, together with a community of new apartments, it's a dramatic change for the area rubber stamped by the arrival of the American Embassy from Grosvenor Square.

Part of the Power Station refurb includes Arcade Food Hall, one of two premium street food experiences from this operator in London. 500 covers, 13 cuisines, 3 proper restaurants and 2 bars. And a pool table. It's impressive when you see it for the first time with lots of different seating options and all the kitchens on show to add to the theatre.

There is no doubt this is an impressive place to meet people or bring family and friends to. A huge selection of cuisines allows for everyone to pick a favourite or go for the ultimate tapas and have a number of different dishes to work your way through.

However one massive thing lets this place down, in our humble opinion. You have to order via the mobile app and the 'shop fronts' for the different outlets have a single tiny logo and 2-3 words of text. You have to embark on endless clicking to see what everyone has on offer and select what you want - trying to remember what's in your basket as you change between outlets.

For us, this completely ruins the street food experience which has at its heart the fun discovery of newness, the ability to explore new cuisines or foods, and most important ask questions! You cannot easily ask questions at most of the outlets here as they are hidden behind walls or shared counters. We'd argue that as a brand in this space you are undersold on your ability to communicate what you're about and why people should order from you.

So a fabulous-looking, enormous, premium and buzzy venue let down by the ordering system. The advance of mobile ordering shouldn't stop the iPhone generation from actually having a good dining experience, especially as consumers of all ages are spending more money on 'experiences' which should include decent, human interaction when exploring new cuisines.

Which brings us to...

Market Place, Vauxhall

Now here is an operator who is thinking of the consumer experience. Tucked under Vauxhall train station, this single-arch venue delivers on the same high standards as Arcade but with proper interaction with the food producers.

Market Place provides high quality surroundings, simple but effective branding look and feel, lots of seating options and a buzz which sees no compromise on the experience from Battersea. 12 food outlets and a bar provide actually more options than Battersea as every stall has dedicated space, a counter and a full menu.

We loved it here. You do have to order at separate counters, so not quite as convenient as Battersea, but you get a little zapper at each which buzzes to let you know your food is ready and more than anything, you get to speak directly with the truly passionate people who design and make the food.

Italian flatbreads made in the tiniest pizza oven we've seen? Curries, noodles, jerk chicken? It's all here. And don't get us started on the Argentinian Grill which made the finest steak sandwich we've ever had - their famous Don Diablo.

The main difference for the operator (after no doubt lower rent charges than Battersea!) is that they have total visibility with the consumer and can craft and communicate their brand messaging perfectly, in the right environment with direct proof of results.

With other locations in Peckham, Harrow and Hounslow we think Market Place have got street food venues right for the consumer and the operator and fully expect more to pop up soon.

A shameless plug: we work with foodservice operators to understand fully how to identify their strengths, build a menu and offer to drive maximum footfall and value, and help them communicate effectively the offer to their consumers. We can also help advise on the right type of location or outlet for maximum return on investment. Get in touch!