Vice Media to open first Munchies food court

With nearly 40,000 square feet and 18 vendors, the Munchies Food Hall will be a platform for creative and diverse culinary talent, selected with Munchies signature youth-driven perspective. “The decision to create a Munchies Food Hall was a no-brainer," said John Martin, publisher of Munchies. "We're always looking for opportunities to expand the Munchies brand beyond digital media and to provide fun, offline experiences for our fans to taste, interact and learn, as well as tell our stories to new audiences. Food halls have always intrigued us, and we couldn't ask for more than partnering with a world-class operator like Triple Five. The American Dream property is like nothing we've ever seen before, and we're beyond excited to have Munchies be one of their partners."

Munchies is a James Beard Award–winning media site that was launched in 2014 and now operates in nearly a half dozen countries. The site offers content for a young audience and showcases the ways that food fits into many identities, customs and cultural aspects.

The 3 million-square-foot American Dream is being developed by Triple Five, which already owns the two largest shopping and entertainment centers in North America: Mall of America and West Edmonton Mall. The grand opening is set for 2019.

"In the true spirit of American Dream 'firsts,' we are thrilled to partner with Munchies, a brand leader in food, culture and conversation," said Don Ghermezian, president of American Dream, in a press release. "When we thought about the food-hall experience and how to differentiate ourselves from other developers, Munchies immediately came to mind. Instead of partnering with a celebrity chef, which is totally expected, we crossed three rivers and the island of Manhattan to find the ideal partner to collaborate on this first-of-its-kind food hall. The Munchies Food Hall will curate tenant selection and global culinary experiences, while simultaneously creating events, activations and content not found anywhere else."

With plans to include spaces for filming Munchies content, demos from visiting chefs and engaging activations, the Munchies Food Hall will be an opportunity for visitors to get immersed in the vibrant digital community found on the Munchies site.

"It's about creating a memorable environment where our customers will interact, learn and experience food like never before,” said Dimitri Lalagos, senior vice president of leasing at American Dream. “Our restaurateur partners will be provided with attractive design and construction amenities to showcase and attract the best talent. Most importantly, you can score a great Martinez cocktail to wash down the beef marrow cheeseburger and eggplant tempura."

There will be no shortage of entertainment tenants. Anchor Saks Fifth Avenue and some 450 retail, food and specialty shops will join North America's largest fully enclosed DreamWorks Water Park and Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park; a 160-story Big Snow Indoor Ski & Snow Park; a KidZania; a live performing-arts theater and many more entertainment attractions. The Collections luxury and fashion area and The Dining Terrace, a collection of fifteen full-service restaurants, are among the center's features as well.