Malls pave way to Food Court Culture

The retail boom and the rapid rise in the number of swanky malls and multiplexes has created a entirely new Food Court culture in the metros. These food courts do offer the length and breadth of Indian and International cuisine (North Indian, South India, chaat, non-veg, Chinese, Italian and Mexican food). Although the article says that these food courts weigh light on your pocket, my experience has been slightly different. Restaurants in a food court often charge higher than their own outlet elsewhere in the same city. The higher rentals in the shopping malls / food courts could be one of the reasons why these restaurants charge a higher price. Outlook has an article on the same topic:

Food courts are emerging as the new afterhours destination for the urban Indian. A combination of fast food and fine dining, they weigh light on your pocket without compromising on the 'eatertainment'.

What more can mall owners want? If there's a craze, cash in on it. So Pune has nine food courts, with 10 more slated to come up in a year or so. Delhi's gourmands already have a choice of 10-odd food courts and the number is expected to double before you can say mall. Mumbai boasts seven-eight such eateries, Calcutta three, Bangalore too is catching up.

By definition, a food court is an indoor plaza with multiple food vendors and a common area for self-serve dining. They first became a runaway success in (where else but) Yankland during the '80s. A clever bridge between fast food and fine dining, they bring both under one roof, quick and cheap. A meal for two comes within Rs 200. Fast service, variety of food and value for money make food courts score over traditional fine dining restaurants. And since they offer much more than burgers and shakes, they leave the Nirula's and the McDonald's far behind.