American Dream announced that Vice’s food and culture brand, Munchies, will be debuting the Munchies Food Hall at the East Rutherford-based retail and entertainment center in 2019.
The food hall will be comprised of more than 38,000 square feet and 18 vendors. It will also include a staging area for video shoots and cooking demos.
John Martin, the publisher of Munchies, said the decision to expand the brand beyond digital media was a “no-brainer.”
“The decision to create a MUNCHIES Food Hall was a no-brainer. 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,” Martin said.
American Dream President Don Ghermezian said partnering with Munchies will make the megamall a culinary destination.
“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, American Dream. “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.”
“It’s about creating a memorable environment where our customers will interact, learn and experience food like never before. 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,” said Dimitri Lalagos, senior vice president, Leasing, American Dream.
The American Dream, which is currently being developed by Triple Five Group of Cos., is located in Bergen County at the Meadowlands Complex at the intersection of Interstate 95, Route 3 and Route 120.
The center, which is comprised of approximately 3 million square feet, is opening in 2019. Its anchor tenant is Saks Fifth Avenue and will have 450 retail, food and specialty shops. It will also feature an indoor DreamWorks Water Park and Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park; a 160-story Big Snow Indoor Ski & Snow Park; Kidzania; a live performing arts theater; 285-foot observation wheel, luxury movie theaters by CMX; Sea Life Aquarium; Lego Discovery Center; an NHL-sized ice rink; and two 18-hole miniature golf attractions.
