FULTON MARKET — Less than five months after opening in Fulton Market, one of West Loop’s new food halls is already preparing to close.
Fulton Galley at 1115 W. Fulton Market announced on Instagram it would “permanently” close Friday.
“THANK YOU to all that have stopped by to eat or drink these past months! We encourage you to come back and enjoy for one last time.”
The nearly 11,000-square-foot food hall featuring five restaurants, a 30-seat bar, a private dining room and a lounge opened in June. A Philadelphia-based company run by Ben Mantica and Tyler Benson were behind it.
The project featured new restaurants from Ron Aleman with Taco Mucho, Dennis Bernard’s “rotisserie-focused concept” Fairview, husband-and-wife Gerad Gobel and Alexis Rorabaugh’s pasta-focused Italianette, Northeastern Thai streetfood Pink Salt by Palita Sriratana and Aaron Steingold’s Steingold’s Deli.
It was the second of three food halls to open in the neighborhood over the summer. Time Out Market is set to open later this month.
This was Mantica and co-founder Benson’s fifth food hall. They previously opened similar food halls in Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Detroit.
In a statement to Eater, co-founder Benson said various factors led to the “difficult decision.”
Steingold told Eater the food hall was hindered by “road construction, difficulty finding parking” and competition for several nearby restaurants.
The city is currently completing the second phase of the Fulton Market Streetscape from Carpenter Street to Ogden Avenue. The project is expected to be completed by the end of the year.
Earlier this year, Mantica said the aim was to create a spot for talented chefs to launch a restaurant idea at low costs before expanding to full-service brick and mortar.
Mantica envisioned Fulton Galley would become a “welcoming” “neighborhood spot” that was active from opening to close.
Mantica and Benson faced a lot of competition with Politan Row food hall and the impending Time Out Market’s sprawling 18-eatery space that will feature Brian Fisher of Michelin-winning Entente and Bill Kim of urbanbelly.
When asked about the competition in April, Mantica told Block Club he wasn’t concerned.
“We get lumped into the food hall conversation, but I think we do things much differently,” Mantica said.
“We are almost like a full-service restaurant,” he said. “We are putting out a product that you would not expect in a food hall ….We are providing a full service in a fast, casual setting.”
With fewer vendors, Fulton Galley offered an intimate experience compared to other food halls with nearly 20 food vendors, Mantica said.
RELATED: Peek Inside Fulton Galley, Fulton Market’s Newest Food Hall With 5 Restaurants, Bar
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