The Garage Food Hall Prepares to Open
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowTuesday marks the grand opening of the city’s newest foodie hangout and marketplace at the mixed-used Bottleworks District in Indianapolis. The Garage Food Hall is just steps from the recently opened Bottleworks Hotel.
The two venues are part of the $300 million renovation of the former Coca-Cola bottling plant on Mass Ave. in Indy.
During a socially distanced walking tour, General Manager Nicole Ulrich explained to Inside INdiana Business Reporter Reed Parker how developers wanted to keep the authentic look as real as possible.
“You know the unique thing about this space, and when tenants came to us, they had the ability to work with our design team and come up with their design, while keeping the integrity of the new industrial look of this building,” said Ulrich.
As the name implies, the 38,000-square-foot space was a maintenance garage for Coca-Cola delivery trucks.
Ulrich says in later years, the facility was used for repairs and paint jobs on school buses for the Indianapolis Public Schools.
“You can see the yellow on the brick from the days of painting buses,” Ulrich pointed out while giving members of the media a sneak peek of the venue.
She says the food hall will eventually house 20 regional vendors. For now, it is opening with 14 restaurants and shops. Ulrich says they kept social distancing in mind as plans came into place.
“We have a lot of other space that we will build out but due to COVID, we laid the foundation and just decided to leave it open for space they are open for seating, so people felt safe,” Ulrich said.
Ulrich says guests will be able to enjoy a variety of authentic cuisines and products and services from artisan craftsmen behind The Garage’s roll-up doors.
“This is our flex kitchen. We will use for pop-ups, for mixologist classes, for events, for cooking classes so it’s a really great flex space,” said Ulrich.
She says the goal for the flex space is to find a couple of chefs who have a food concept. They could prepare meals in the test kitchen and sample it on consumers, without having to make the investment of getting their own permanent space.
In addition to food and drink, visitors will be able to shop for outdoor gear or even get a haircut. More shops are scheduled to open in February and March.
The Garage is a major part of the mixed-use district. Last month, Inside INdiana Business Reporter Mary-Rachel Redman learned about the hotel and its history, which you can watch in the video below.”
General Manager Nicole Ulrich highlighted unique features of the venue prior to its opening.