St. Roch Market operator: "I want more and I want it yesterday"
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St. Roch Market's operator is on a mission to get New Orleans to understand how to use the food hall concept.
Why it matters: "New Orleans does not understand how to use this," Kevin Pedeaux said of the market, which is the city's oldest food hall and one of the last ones standing.
- He suspects that lack of understanding may be what contributed to other food halls failing. St. Roch's secret weapon, he says, is character from the almost 150-year-old building that houses it.
The big picture: Pedeaux took over operations last September amid a drop in vendors and a decline in customers.
- He's spent the past year pinging away to fill stalls, create buzz and find a niche in a packed hospitality market.
- He recently signed a new 30-year lease agreement with the city, which owns the building.
What he's saying: "I approach this whole thing like a coffee shop on steroids," Pedeaux said. "We want to be together. This place removes those barriers."
- Customers can share a birthday cake at a table, he said, or they can sit at the bar and work. They can have a business meeting or do happy hour with friends who want to eat different things.
State of play: The 12 food stalls are now full and there's a waiting list, Pedeaux tells Axios.
- Walking through the market, your food options include raw oysters, chicken shawarma, sushi, sandwiches, tacos, charcuterie boards and Cuban and Burmese delicacies.
How it works: The vendors pay the market rent or 30% of their gross sales for maintenance and other operational support like dishes, janitorial service and parking.
Reality check: "A business can come here and grow here," Pedeaux said. "A business can come here and realize, 'It's a lot more than I thought.'"
- Pedeaux has run CR Coffee Shop in the market for the past 10 years and knows the struggles of being a business owner.
- He lets restaurateurs do weekly popups to see if they are ready for a regular spot in the food hall before signing a lease. "It's a lot cheaper to try out a whim here."
- "I am not going to keep you alive," he says. "You have to peddle the bike and you have to steer."
Notable graduates include Fritai, Daily Beet and Good Bird.
Zoom in: Taceaux Loceaux owner and chef Alex Del Castillo is one of the market's current vendors.
- He's had a taco truck for more than a decade and tried his hand at a brick-and-mortar location before.
- The St. Roch Market model works better for him, he says, because he can focus on food while Pedeaux handles the not-fun things like grease traps.
Zoom out: Pedeaux says he's spent the last year working on infrastructure, buying new AC units and fixing plumbing — "things I'm not excited about."
- "I have such a clear vision in my head and then I keep getting sideswiped" by expenses like giant insurance bills, he says. "I want more and I want it yesterday."
- He hopes to focus on customer-facing improvements in the next year, such as an outdoor kitchen for classes and demonstrations.
What's next: St. Roch Market turns 150 years old next year. Pedeaux says he plans to have special events all year.
- He's also working with the vendors to get them to offer more kitchen staples for customers, like gallons of milk, bags of coffee and bottles of hot sauce.
- "Everything I do is focused on bringing more life to St. Roch," Pedeaux says. "I want to make St. Roch top of mind."
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that St. Roch Market charges vendors rent or 30% of their gross sales (not both). It's also been updated to reflect that the pho shop closed in September.