Malls turn to concerts, food trucks to lure shoppers

[TheFugitive]

Here's an interesting article about some creative things some mall owners are doing
to try and lure foot traffic.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-21/mall-owners-fighting-online-stores-turn-to-concerts-food-trucks

If I were a food vendor paying monthly rent for space in the mall food court, I don't
think I'd be too keen on this idea of bringing in food trucks.

I used to work in a strip center that would host a Volunteer Fire Department fundraising
carnival each summer.  We really did not look forward to it, as it would also attract "carny"
types.  Our shoplifting/fraud/drawer shorts due to quick-changing would always spike during
that week.

One year they tried to peel a fire door at the Service Merchandise location where I was working.
They had peeled away the outer layer of steel, and were partway through the inner layer when
apparently the sun came up and they got scared and left.

[BillyGr]

I suppose it would depend on several different things:

1.  If both items were being done at once (after all, if there is a concert that may draw a large crowd at one time, that would provide enough demand for both the existing food locations and some temporary trucks, where not having the extra options might overwhelm the existing locations).

2. Weather - if a concert is being held and it's 95 degrees out, one would think that many of the attendees would want to run into the mall for food during or after, just to enjoy the cooler temps inside rather than eating at the places outside.

3. What is allowed - it would make sense to try to only offer food trucks that sell things not already available in the mall - that would be similar to having another non competing restaurant move into the food court.

[Retail Fan+ (Justin Hill)]

I suppose it would depend on several different things:

1.  If both items were being done at once (after all, if there is a concert that may draw a large crowd at one time, that would provide enough demand for both the existing food locations and some temporary trucks, where not having the extra options might overwhelm the existing locations).

2. Weather - if a concert is being held and it's 95 degrees out, one would think that many of the attendees would want to run into the mall for food during or after, just to enjoy the cooler temps inside rather than eating at the places outside.

3. What is allowed - it would make sense to try to only offer food trucks that sell things not already available in the mall - that would be similar to having another non competing restaurant move into the food court.

They could set up a stage in the center court of a mall to help draw people into a mall for a free concert to lure in customers to do some shopping and dining. They could also hire some clowns to make balloon animals for the kids, and a magician to perform a magic act. The carnival idea is a great idea as well.

[zonemad96]

I suppose it would depend on several different things:

1.  If both items were being done at once (after all, if there is a concert that may draw a large crowd at one time, that would provide enough demand for both the existing food locations and some temporary trucks, where not having the extra options might overwhelm the existing locations).

2. Weather - if a concert is being held and it's 95 degrees out, one would think that many of the attendees would want to run into the mall for food during or after, just to enjoy the cooler temps inside rather than eating at the places outside.

3. What is allowed - it would make sense to try to only offer food trucks that sell things not already available in the mall - that would be similar to having another non competing restaurant move into the food court.

They could set up a stage in the center court of a mall to help draw people into a mall for a free concert to lure in customers to do some shopping and dining. They could also hire some clowns to make balloon animals for the kids, and a magician to perform a magic act. The carnival idea is a great idea as well.

When my mall used to host things on a stage (Maybe they still do no idea) it was always either targeted towards family's with children or older people, which is fine but the demographic they need to survive is 20-40 somethings and I don't really see them having a concert at a mall that would appeal to that audience.