The full scope.
Inside and out.
- 16+ years institutional derivatives background
- 10+ years food hall development & operations
- Clients include Dekalb Market Hall / Acadia Realty Trust & Boston Properties
- $50M+ combined gross sales managed
- ULI Member & CRC Platinum (Commercial and Retail Development Council) — ICSC-OAC Roundtable Speaker
Thomas Point Advisory was founded on a simple premise: food halls are not retail, and they are not restaurants. They are their own asset class — one that most developers and operators approach with the wrong framework, and pay for it accordingly.
With a background spanning institutional derivatives, commercial real estate development, and more than a decade building and running food halls for institutional developers — including Dekalb Market Hall with Acadia Realty Trust and The Hugh with Boston Properties — Thomas Point Advisory brings a perspective that is rare in this industry: the full financial, operational, and real estate picture in a single adviser.
From the first feasibility question to the lease structures that determine long-term viability, from exhaust hood specifications to vendor curation strategy — we have lived every decision that makes a food hall succeed or fail at scale. That experience is what we bring to every engagement.
"The food halls that work long-term are the ones where vendors invest in their craft, customers feel it, and the developer collects rent — not writes checks. That outcome is achievable. It requires getting the structure right from day one."
Work that speaks
for itself.
The following represents a selection of prior client engagements and projects.
A selection of past and current engagements. Additional project details available upon request and subject to confidentiality agreements.
Your food hall is open.
Is it working?
A lot of food halls aren't performing the way their developers expected. Occupancy is softer than the pro forma projected. Vendors are struggling. Tuesday nights are empty. The developer is asking hard questions.
We've seen this before — and we know how to fix it. Not just the cap-ex, but the fundamentals: vendor mix, lease structure, staffing, programming, and the operational discipline that turns a struggling hall into one that generates returns.
Let's talk about your hallFrom concept
through operations.
Every engagement is a partnership. We work alongside our clients from the earliest feasibility questions through opening and beyond — focused on outcomes and returns, not just deliverables.
"Pro formas are educated predictions, not guarantees. Our approach is deliberately conservative — underestimate gross sales, overestimate operating costs. That protects the developer from over-committing capital based on inflated projections."
- Basic layout framework — vendor stalls, anchor placement, bar configuration
- 5-year pro forma, conservative by design
- Management structure comparison (JV, Mgmt Agreement, NNN)
- IRR and ROI by scenario
- Target market and audience analysis
- Architect plan review and operator input
- MEP, exhaust, and fire suppression strategy
- AV, WiFi, and POS infrastructure planning
- Insurance requirement framework
- Construction cost review and input
- License agreement structure and terms
- Rent roll and pricing strategy
- Vendor discovery, vetting, and curation
- Anchor tenant and community vendor strategy
- Target: 50% signed before construction begins
- Owner's Rep oversight of GC and specialty trades
- Operator selection and transition support
- Pre-opening marketing and PR oversight
- Milestone, budget, and cash flow tracking
- Financial and operational audit
- Margin and occupancy improvement
- Staffing structure and org chart review
- Day-part programming and placemaking strategy
- Vendor performance and lease renewal strategy
- Community engagement and city agency partnerships
- Investment justification pro forma and ROI analysis
- Trade solicitation and proposal oversight
- Permitting and fire/life-safety approval management
- Cash flow tracking against operator P&L
- Final inspection and sign-off coordination
- Conservative 5-year pro forma
- Management structure recommendation
- Deliverable-based engagement
- Full pre-opening scope
- Owner's Rep construction oversight
- Travel reimbursed separately
- Existing hall optimization
- Margin and occupancy improvement
- Cap-ex project oversight available
Let's talk about
your project.
Whether you're a developer evaluating a food hall concept, an operator looking to improve performance, or a vendor navigating a license agreement — the conversation starts here.
Response within 24 hours.