New research shows restaurant chains and food concepts are helping shopping malls regain their footing, driving consumers to the once-struggling spaces.
The data from Yelp shows restaurants have become a driving force in this ever-changing retail landscape, helping to catapult visitor numbers above pre-pandemic levels at malls.
Shoppers grab a bite to eat and then spend their money at various businesses before and after they dine out — creating a bounce-back effect for what has often been dubbed a "struggling industry."
Days of packed shopping malls are beginning to return, but they look a bit different than what we were used to in the 1990s and early 2000s.
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Take a drive past or step foot near Great Northern Mall in Ohio and you'll be greeted by one restaurant after the next.
More are on the way, including a Texas Roadhouse in the near future.
"Five times more traffic," Tony Ke, the owner of TJ Hibachi and Sushi said.
Ke said through the ups and downs of the coronavirus pandemic, and many folks opting for online shopping over the years, things are finally turning around.
He said business is booming with five times more traffic in the mall food court than in years past.
"It's really getting better and better," Ke said.
And he's not alone.
Scripps News Cleveland followed through and spoke with Beverly Bolton, owner of Fortune's Cookies.
The self-proclaimed community baker and Cleveland-area mom took a gamble, opening her first brick-and-mortar inside Great Northern a year ago.
"It's been an adventure, but better than I expected," Bolton said.
The local cookie shop has become so popular that she's been scouted to fill that nostalgic mall cookie void.
"We've had some other malls approach us. Actually, use the space where Mrs. Fields used to be in," Bolton said.
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Placer.AI reports shopping malls — whether it be open-air concepts or traditional malls like Great Northern — are on the rise again in 2024.
The organization that tracks retail foot traffic reports the primary reason is restaurants and food concepts in malls. They are up 7% from 2019 to 2024.
Yelp recently released a report of the top 25 mall brands, and 17 of the top 25 mall brands are restaurant chains:
- Cheesecake Factory at number 1
- BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse at 4
- Starbucks at 6
- Olive Garden at 7
- Panera at 10
- Chili's at 21
Food concepts are a driving force as well. This includes Filipino, Vegan and specifically Bubble Teas —which are up 100% over the last five years, according to Yelp.
Michael Goldberg, a professor in the Department of Design Innovation at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University, said a generation that has virtually lived online plays a critical role in the process.
"Many Americans, particularly younger Americans, are focused on experiences and nothing is better than sharing food with friends," Goldberg said.
Young social media influencers are eating food on camera, providing reviews and driving people to dive in and try the food.
The TikTok generation has given a major boost to once-struggling brands and revived them tenfold. Case in point: Chili's Triple Dipper.
"The thought that Chili's is back and being driven by influencer videos on TikTok is quite fascinating and, you know, I mean, there is a nostalgia for brands," Goldberg said.
Localized community programming and holiday events like pictures with Santa are a mainstay at malls like Great Northern.
Lori Weidleman, who has been cranking out pretzels at Auntie Anne's since 1997, said change is constant.
However, she added it's become apparent people will pay for a quality product that takes them back to a special moment in life.
"Ohio's doing really good. We're strong and beating our goals and our targets. And it's multi-generational interest," Weidleman said.
This story was originally published by Mike Holden at Scripps News Cleveland.
