The Mess Hall Opens in the Presidio - What This Food Hall Signals About the Market
Nate Leonard and Rob Gaon, with Momofuku Ko alum Peter Serpico consulting on the menu, are opening The Mess Hall in the Presidio's Tunnel Tops on August 15. The food hall houses three restaurant concepts, a market, a coffee counter, and a full bar, all run by one team out of a single kitchen.
The real estate story here is the one worth watching. Leonard has been direct that the concept only works in this location, a converted 1897 depot with views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, serving a Presidio population with almost no grocery or lunch options nearby. Just as important, they built it as one operator running three concepts rather than leasing stalls to independent tenants, the structure that's sunk food halls like Saluhall and La Cocina.
For operators considering a multi-concept space: the lease structure is the business model. Whether you own every concept under one roof or sublease to others determines your control over quality, labor, and consistency, and it's usually the difference between a food hall that lasts and one that doesn't.