Office Parks Adding Food Halls and Food Truck Parks to Keep and Attract Tenants

Lincoln Property Company's Southpark Center office park at 8427 Southpark Circle is adding a shady tree-filled park in which food trucks will enter and serve. Rendering credit: Interstruct, Inc.

Food trucks have been visiting office parks in Orlando and Central Florida since the birth of the modern Orlando food truck scene nine years ago.

Back then as is true today, the practice of bringing food options onto office park properties is a no-brainer win-win for everyone.

Having food on-site is a great benefit for tenants' employees. It eliminates travel time that can eat up an employee's lunch hour.

There's also built-in variety. The same trucks don't visit the office parks every day. Employees can get a rotating selection of menus and brands scheduled by outside companies and some on-site office managers.

In a standard office park lunch scenario, food trucks pull up in a parking lot, employees come outside and stand in line to order from them. They get their food then hop back into their office buildings. This simple system has worked for many years to the benefit of both food trucks and employees.

Two office parks in Central Florida are kicking things up a creative notch and potentially kicking off a trend.

Lincoln Property Company's Southpark Center office park at 8427 Southpark Circle (MAP) is adding a shady tree-filled park in which food trucks will enter and serve. The sitework is being executed by Interstruct, Inc.

Renderings of the project show trees, walkways, tables, and chairs. This new design invites employees to spend time outside their offices. It offers the chance for interaction with employees from other businesses as well. The space can also be used for social gatherings.

In another part of Central Florida, the Primera Towers office park at 615 Crescent Executive Court (MAP) in Lake Mary is taking it one step further by bringing the food and employees inside. A 10,000 SF food hall in is in the works for the lucky office workers there.

Food halls themselves a big trend that is about to explode with ten food hall projects in the works on the horizon.

A 10,000 SF food hall in is in the works for the lucky office workers in the Primera Towers office complex

On the flip side, it's not as if employees don't have plenty of food and lunch options. The immediate area of some office parks are not lacking in food options. For example, twenty five restaurants (fast food, fast casual, sit down) and grocery store options are within a six minute drive of Primera Towers.The huge food delivery business instigated by delivery apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash are bringing meals, snacks and grocery items straight to the office parks. And, you never know if some of those restaurants you're ordering from are actually ghost kitchens, another food trend about to take off in Central Florida.

Office parks improving their food offerings and dining experiences brings benefits not only to residents, but landlords as well. These new elevated options become tools landlords can use to compete against other office parks in the fight to get new tenants and keep current ones. If executed well, the amenity can set an office park apart from competitors.

Tenants can also use the features as a way to attract and retain talent.

Depending on how involved an office park company wants to get, a new stream of income can come from the new options. Improved dining experiences can attract workers from other office complexes on their lunch breaks.

Below are construction photos of the food truck park under construction at Southpark Center. Photo Credit: Interstruct Inc.