Trinity Leeds looks to revolutionise food retailing with new street food concept

Opening next week (17 October), the 20,000 sq.ft street food concept, Trinity Kitchen, will feature seven permanent high street brands, all of which are new to Leeds, along with five ‘pop-ups’ which will change on a monthly basis.

“Today’s customer wants a truly memorable experience, from the very best retailers and restaurants to exemplary levels of customer service, made easy with the clever use of technology,” said Andrew Turf, Trinity Kitchen’s Leasing Manager.

“We are always striving to offer visitors something different every time they visit and we’re delighted to be launching the very latest in eating out concepts at a centre which is setting the benchmark for today’s shopping centres.”

Choice, quality, experience​

Trinity Kitchen will select the five street food vans from across the UK with the help of food journalist and curator of the British Street Food Awards, Richard Johnson. The chosen vendors will be launched from the street by hydraulic lift up and into an opening in the wall of the first floor of Trinity Kitchen. ‘Swap out Sunday’ will take place on a monthly basis, offering consumers the chance to try something new each time they visit.

Johnson added: “Street food is one of the most important British food trends in years and the launch of Trinity Kitchen is set to not only change the way we view food in a shopping environment, but also how we eat out in the UK. We know people want more choice, better quality and a great experience, so that’s why we’re bringing the best traders to Trinity Leeds, from across the UK, every month.

“From the coolest, quirkiest vans and trucks, to garden sheds and even boats – all serving the tastiest, freshest food – Trinity Kitchen is set to become the ultimate destination for food.”

The first street food vendors to trade for the first four weeks include Leeds-based company The Marvellous Tea Dance, Big Apple Hotdogs, ​Gurmetti, and Manjit’s Kitchen.

On the digital front, customers at Trinity Kitchen will be able to interact with each other using a large touchscreen. Groups will be encouraged to play food-related games designed for multi-touch or connect socially with ‘#Your TK’ - a live Instagram wall. The experience also extends to a free iPad service for visitors to the food court and a live feed of the music ‘now playing’ is also available via screens.

Hospitable City​

For the majority of the new permanent restaurant additions, it will be the first time they have operated outside of London. Pho Café will be bringing its Vietnamese food to the city; Chicago Rib Shack will be serving up an American Diner menu; and PizzaLuxe, will provide its thin-base artisan pizzas.

They will open up alongside boutique bar offering, 360 Champagne & Cocktails, speciality coffee, food and wine company Notes Cafe fresh California-Mexican taco and burrito vendor Tortilla and Chip + Fish, serving a varied take on traditional fish and chips.

Trinity Kitchen forms part of Land Securities’ response to the evolution of the retail market,​​ which has seen food and beverage facilities at Trinity Leeds increase from 13 per cent to 24 per cent in response to demand from consumers.

As reported earlier in the year by BigHospitality, the North Eastern city of Leeds is fast becoming a hospitality hotspot​​ with a growing eating-out market. The UK’s fourth largest city received more than 23 million visitors last year and their spend of £683.43m last year catapulted it into a list of the top four UK visitor destinations outside of London.