A premier lineup of food and beverage offerings has opened its doors in the new Franklin’s Table food hall at 34th and Walnut streets.
Penn has curated a group of critically acclaimed chefs and local, best-in-class operators featuring a diverse menu of food options that will satisfy meat eaters, vegans, organic juice lovers, and ice-cream fans alike.
This modern food hall—an upgraded replacement dining venue from the former food court—is populated by high-quality, small-format food and beverage operators. This effort follows a national trend of renovations of dated food courts in favor of dynamic and upgraded food hall experiences.
“Penn has repositioned this space as a food hall in alignment with our overall Retail Master Plan, a project that seeks to bring to the Penn community a vibrant mix of local entrepreneur retailers at a variety of price points in a fast-casual setting,” says Ed Datz, executive director of real estate in Penn’s Division of Facilities and Real Estate Services.
Datz describes the mix of seven food stalls as quality purveyors that can meet trending food desires: organic smoothies and juices, artisan baked goods, wood-fired pizza, sushi rolls, falafel, and top-tier sandwich selections—most from local sources.
Franklin’s Table, an 8,000-square-foot contemporary dining hall atmosphere with an industrial feel has capacity for approximately 175 indoor seats and outdoor café tables on a back patio.
Each stall showcases its individual flavor and character of their brand offerings in an eclectic mix of new concepts and established favorites such as High Street Provisions, DK Sushi, Goldie, KQ Burger, Pitruco Pizza, The Juice Merchant Juicery and Café, and Little Baby’s Ice Cream.
The new food hall, which will accompany several other new restaurants on Penn’s campus opening this spring, is designed to represent the University’s overall strategy and vision for retail to be a destination experience, explains Datz.
“Grab a stool at one of the vendors’ counters for a quick bite or get a group together at the communal dining tables for a longer feast,” he says. “This unique mix of hip local eateries under one roof in the heart of Penn’s campus is sure to deliver a quality meal that has something for everyone who comes for a taste.”
Franklin’s Table is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, seven days per week. Hours are Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
