HF Food Halls Signs 11K-SF Lease to Revive Urbanspace at 230 Park Avenue

RXR has a new tenant in line to run its food hall at 230 Park Avenue, currently operated as Urbanspace Vanderbilt.

HF Food Halls, founded by restaurateur Stephen Hanson and hospitality operator Alex Gaudelet, signed an 11,000-square-foot lease to operate the venue, the New York Post first reported.

But it will be less of a master lease for HF Food Halls. Instead, the company will operate the food stands themselves instead of subleasing to smaller operators, according to the Post, which also reported that the tenant is in talks to take over a similar facility at the Feil Organization’s 570 Lexington Avenue. 

It’s unclear what the asking rent or the length of the lease was in the 230 Park deal. RXR and HF Food Halls did not respond to requests for comment. It’s unclear who brokered the lease.

After an initial pandemic-era boom that saw food halls such as The Hugh and Urban Hawker open in Midtown and the Tin Building at the South Street Seaport, food halls in New York City seem to be struggling now following the recent closure of the Market Line in Essex Crossing. Still, the number of food halls in the U.S. doubled from 150 in 2018 to 352 in 2023.

Mark Hallum can be reached at mhallum@commercialobserver.com.