NEW YORK CITY – Goodbye food court, hello food hall. Unlike the fast-food chains that populated food courts, food halls usually have a mix of businesses, including artisan eateries and food-oriented boutiques, the New York Times reports.

“Food halls are a place where there’s life and there’s buzz,” said David LaPierre, vice chairman of the global retail services team at CBRE. “It’s a real social environment where people want to be.”

For example, DeKalb Market Hall recently opened in downtown Brooklyn in the lower level of the City Point project, an entertainment, restaurant and retail project. Already, the market hall with 40 vendors has driven traffic to retailers in the upper levels.

Food halls have been popular in Europe for years, and now the concept is growing fast in the United States as customers want healthier fast-casual food options in more entertaining environments. The number of food halls is forecasted to crest to 200 in 2019, twice as many in business in late 2016, according to Cushman & Wakefield.

Food halls are popping up in residential and office tower complexes too, such as Revival Food Hall with 15 vendors in Chicago. “It’s less about bringing people onto the property to drive retail and more about being a place where people can come and commune,” said Mark Toro, a managing partner for North American Properties.