Optimist Hall — Charlotte’s first food hall situated in a revamped 1892 cotton textile mill — celebrated its five-year anniversary in August. In Charlotte time, that’s kind of a big deal.
Hyped as Charlotte’s first modern-day food hall when it opened in 2019, it’s clear that management is doing something right. During its five years in operation, the tenant retention rate at the mixed-use development has remained at nearly 100%.
Against the backdrop of a Charlotte food and beverage scene that is constantly turning over, Optimist Hall stands proudly — all 20-plus food stalls, three dine-in restaurants, and 60,000 square feet of it.
Andres Kaifer, the Charlotte chef behind beloved Elizabeth eatery Customshop, is set to open the Spanish small-plate stall Marina’s Tapas in Optimist Hall this fall. He said the hall “just makes sense.” To him, it’s seamless and clean with a good flow.
“It’s got a very diverse and very unique offering from a food hall perspective,” he said, calling Optimist Hall the opposite of “stagnant.”
With space for 650 people indoors and outside, free WiFi and free parking for the first hour and a half of any visit, the massive structure in an old gingham mill in north Charlotte’s Optimist Park neighborhood has become a go-to for appeasing lunch cravings, hitting happy hours, and showing off to out-of-town visitors…