If you’ve been waiting for Hartford’s Parkville Market to open, you’re getting your wish this Wednesday.
Billed as Connecticut’s first food hall, it’s set to be a foodie’s dream as a place to come sample dishes from local restaurants offering cuisines from around the world served from individual stalls. Now because of COVID-19, the original vision is changing a bit.
“It's obviously not as we envisioned it. We envisioned being able to have lots and lots of people here for grand opening inside. That’s not what it’s going to look like,” said Chelsea Mouta, the market’s director of operations.
Inspired by New York’s Chelsea Market and other big city food halls that thrive on lots of people gathering together, Parkville Market is pivoting. Instead of patrons grabbing their meals and eating inside, for now they can order food online or in person from the already constructed takeout windows for outdoor seating.
“Feeling very fortunate that we already planned to have the outdoor dining, that we have these service windows for each of our restaurants to make it easier to do take out," Mouta added.
The market will open with seven restaurants and close to a dozen have already signed on. The market has 20 kitchens. There’s also going to be retail on the upper level, several bars and a small grocery.
Parkville Market is working on a reservation system for its outdoor seating so they can properly manage their guests and build in time to sanitize and reset as people come and go. They’re still looking forward to being able to welcome guests into the building in the near future once it's allowed by the state.
