04: Fred Carr & Mike Sinclair – Building Food Halls & Markets: Managing scale, complexity, and the 'engine room'

Welcome to Beyond the Counter - the UK's first podcast and content series dedicated to the Food Halls & Markets. Sign up for free to our monthly articles and annual Food Hall data report: https://forms.contacta.io/68e54cbaf8643266cccaf0aa.htmlIn this episode, we go underneath the skin of what it takes to design and build a food hall with two of the industry’s most experienced consultants: Mike Sinclair (Macaulay Sinclair) and Fred Carr (MorganCarr). They join Simon to share the practical realities of turning massive, complex sites into social hubs and why flexibility is the most important tool in an operator's kit.In this episode, we cover:The Scale of the Beast: Why food halls can be more complex than traditional restaurants and the "nuances" of large-scale sites.The Hidden Costs: A deep dive into the 30% of your budget that goes into mechanical services and the "engine room" infrastructure guests never see.Controlling the Flow: How to design for hundreds of people navigating multiple kitchens all at once.The Design Dilemma: Balancing character and constraints, from managing the logistical hurdles of architecturally interesting or historic buildings to finding ways to inject personality into more functional, "blank canvas" spaces.The Future of the Third Space: How food halls are evolving into social hubs that blend dining with co-working and "competitive socialising".Give it a listen and a review and if you like it let us know what you think!------Who are me&u and why do you care about Food Halls & markets?We're me&u - the leading provider of mobile ordering in hospitality venues, including Food Halls and Markets, across the UK, US and Australia. We believe the future of food is being shaped right now, in food halls and markets worldwide. But in this rapidly evolving industry, operators are often building the playbook as they go. That's why we're creating a space where the industry can share experiences and collectively accelerate it’s growth. By bringing together the brightest minds in the space, we're turning individual insights into shared success by going Beyond the Counter.