The District at Eastover issued the following statement.
After almost five years of operations, Cultivation Food Hall will hear the clink of the glasses for the last time after lunch service on Wednesday, June 14, 2023.
“When we were developing The District, we always had in our minds that we wanted to find a concept that was different, progressive, interesting, and through our travels related to the project, we came across several new food hall concepts that were intriguing to us,” said Breck Hines, Principal at Concord Companies. “Food halls by their very nature are a wonderfully local affair, but that meant if we wanted one, we had to do it ourselves. So we did just that, despite having no restaurant experience. We surrounded ourselves with some great people and Cultivation Food Hall was born, and had nearly five years of success, even through the craziness of Covid.”
“Our operating partner and General Manager recently had the chance to take over his family’s business, and it was an opportunity he could not turn down.” continued Hines. “With his departure, Ted and I decided it was a good time to pivot. We are not restaurant guys, and we’ve had a number of inquiries over the years by people interested in this beautiful space. With Eudora’s Mississippi Brasserie opening across the street this Fall, it’s time for this space to be reimagined.”
“Cultivation was Mississippi’s first and only food hall, currently home to six restaurant concepts plus the Gold Coast Bar, which has become a happy hour favorite for many in the community,” said Ted Duckworth, Principal at Concord Companies. “We plan to take that foundation and build upon it. The next chapter for this space will be fun and exciting. Jackson’s restaurant scene is vibrant and progressive; you cannot find better food than places like Walker’s, Elvie’s, Bravo, and Pulito Osteria. Our intention is to build on that momentum and continue to make the community proud with what comes next.”
“Breck and I and our partners want to thank our patrons and friends for supporting Cultivation for the last four and half years,” continued Duckworth. “We appreciate it more than you know.”
“Cultivation Food Hall, like everything that has been brought forth by The District at Eastover, was a stunning example of vision and creativity,” said Jeff Good, President of Mangia Bene, Inc. Restaurant Management Group and Owner of Sal and Mookie’s. “Launched as an incubator for small culinary entrepreneurs, it provided a unique combination of shared resources (kitchen, dining area, marketing and management) which allowed the small business owner to focus on the quality of their offerings and customer service. The model was wonderful and it yielded a number of start-ups making the move to stand alone locations of their own.”
“We will all miss the variety and the quality, but most of all the people.” continued Good, “As a 30-year veteran of this business here, in Jackson, I have nothing but admiration for the men and women who put it all on the line to create quality experiences for others. They are the manifestation of the American dream.”
Cultivation Food Hall will be open through lunch next Wednesday, June 14. To learn more about The District at Eastover, visit their website or connect with them on Facebook or Instagram.
70 comments:
That's a shame. Restaurateurs do indeed put everything on the line. The Cultivation Food Hall was a great food service concept for the Jackson area. Best of luck to the next evolution in that space.
ROFLMAO Yeah, we're losing our asses in Jackson, it may be time to "pivot". Too bad they missed out on scoring that new barbershop Highland Village was crowing about. PR about a new barbershop. LOL LOL LOL
Besides the New Orleans style kitchen which left eons ago, the rest were subpar.
Wonder if it has anything to do with relentless crime and lack of water and garbage service? Nah…
That article is complete bullshit. That place sucked from the day it opened. I ate there twice. Terrible both times. And it was empty both times at lunch.
Next-
I always left there hungry.
Hadn’t set foot in the area since Cantina Lorado was forced out!
There's our Thought Leader again spinning like mad because he can't find a buyer and he doesn't have an exit Jackson strategy.
All you Madison people can complain about Jackson but I see your tags at our restaurants daily. Guess the Applebees in Madison gets old. Sad!
I ate there several times and I have to agree, most vendors were average at best.
There was a very kind and attentive lady that seemed to manage the floor from time to time and I respected her hustle.
But the average employee actually working the stalls was abysmal. They seemed genuinely annoyed that I wanted to place an order, but they spun that electronic tip button around with a quickness.
The bar was nice and the bartenders were good, but the whole damn place shut down way too early.
I hate that they are closing but I am not really shocked.
Please don't use the words vibrant and progressive.
They are always descriptive of failure and ruination.
I hate to see it close. I'm not surprised. But I still hate to see it happen.
I hate to say it but I don't think the District is doing as well as expected.
the few times i went i always had trouble finding something i like to eat. the menus of most of the restaraunts in there were a little too weird
It was an extremely overpriced mall food court. No big loss at all. A restaurant that tailors to the hipster doofus crowd won’t last long here
Where is Jxn Crime Cuisine? Locale appropriate, gonzo brutality takes high octane fuel, followed by an after-snort of 'quality' drugs, no fentanyl please. And no high rent cultivation, just classical primo Colombian blast.
The food was not good on the two occasions that I went. Atmosphere is nice, but good food is even better.
To everyone -- like 1:24 -- who blamed this on garbage service, you're just showing your ignorance.
Jackson's garbage crisis only affected residential homes, not businesses.
My experience there was overpriced and poor quality food. And my personal preference is to not have waitstaff & cooks to all be covered in tattoos & face piercings.
Beatty Street would do well in that space.
"Hadn’t set foot in the area since Cantina Lorado was forced out!"
Ditto. Something about you reap what you sew...
You know those places that get marked where nothing ever lasts or survives in the locations and they spiral downward. The District is getting that way. At least you still have gourmet pizza and ice cream. Such sophistication.
Fortunately its closure has nothing to do with murders, shootings, car thefts, car break-ins, assaults, no water, dirty water, boo boo, no garbage pickup, and lack of quality workers. Right?
Owning a restaurant in Jackson...what could possibly go wrong?
"Cultivation" Hall - maybe re-purpose to pot growing or sales.
I went one time when it first opened. There was an extremely limited menu at most of the food services and it kind of reminded me of "airport food/kiosks" (but not in Jackson since there are none...thanks, Mayor!).
My 1 time visit was enough to let me know that IF something did not change and change fairly quickly, this District offering was doomed from the start.
It won't be missed by me, but maybe it might for others.
Anything in Jackson will die.
"And my personal preference is to not have waitstaff & cooks to all be covered in tattoos & face piercings."
Roger that. Septum piercings, especially, ought to be a disqualification, in the eyes of an employer, when it comes to serving food.
I am so sorry. I loved it there! Safe, clean ,something for everyone ! Will be missed. Can’t wait to see what goes in there next. The District is Awesome!
I am so sorry. I loved it there! Safe, clean ,something for everyone ! Will be missed. Can’t wait to see what goes in there next. The District is Awesome!
Food was awful
Food Hall. Is that anything like the food court at Northpark mall?
I love that place! Safe, clean,lots of choices. Hope something awesome takes it’s place
Screw all y’all! We gettin a Bojangles!!!!!!
It was one of the wokest places around so not surprised it went broke 🤣 😂
Wokesters are a micro-minority and nobody wants to tolerate their bullshit anymore!
I'll never understand folks in the burbs wanting Jxn to fail. I want Jxn to be as prosperous as possible so the criminals will have more targets in the city and feel less need to cross the Pearl.
I'm sorry to see these restaurants close after toughing it out during COVID & the city's water crisis. On the other hand, I only ate at Cultivation once - a slice of pizza with one piece of pepperoni & a single spinach leaf as toppings - for $12.
@2:08 so true, been at it since 2010 with the Electric Building.
Went there one time. Not a single thing at any of the counters appealed to me. It was like they were all trying to hard to “out-weird” each other. I never went back. After that one singular time. I’m surprised it lasted five years.
Birmingham's MOST SUCCESFUL rendition for years:
https://www.thepizitz.com/food-hall
Woke owned Eudoras will be closed in 2 yrs. Owner can’t pour a drink without the approval of our thought leader.
“ I am so sorry. I loved it there! Safe, clean ,something for everyone ! Will be missed. Can’t wait to see what goes in there next. The District is Awesome!
June 9, 2023 at 4:37 PM”
Things must be pretty bad in Jackson if you think a glorified strip mall is awesome
Holy crap what a bunch of rubes. No wonder we can't have anything nice.
What is sad is the level of enjoyment some on this page get from other’s failures. Kudos to the folks that tried to make something of this.
Antar says Free the Land corporation will move in that place next.
Republic of New Jackson.
Welp, that is fine and dandy - oh wait, they closed too…
Seriously, let’s hope La Brioche relocates. Losing fine fine bakery that would be devastating.
11:38. Totally agree about La Brioche. They should have remained in Fondren. Maybe they will go back.
I’ve been to a few of these around (Bham, NOLA, Philly PA and others)-what this one lacked was character. It was no different than a mall food court. Nothing special. The others that I have been to have been historic renovations that retain features from the prior usage.
And Cultivation did have variety and “non woke” food- just look at the menus. There’s not a dollar menu at places like this. If you complain about price go to the any number of fast food or gas station chicken places. Probably more your speed anyhow.
Fortunately our area has a number of good places even without a food hall, and we are close to New Orleans where food culture pushes the envelope.
I really hope people here aren’t so anti-business. Goes against that little “R” that most people here vote for.
I stand with @2:53 pm when he posted “And my personal preference is to not have waitstaff & cooks to all be covered in tattoos & face piercings.” The same goes for cops. I’ve seen cops lately who look more like the thugs they’re arresting than they do me.
Just because a food vendor offers exotic fusion, artsy presentation and off grid marketing, like mini-portions layered aesthetically over sauce in the middle of a large plate, sprinkled with parsley, doesn't mean the food is pleasant, satisfying or healthy to eat. But such is likely overpriced.
When restaurant owners finally understand that employees appearances must be a selling point then I think they will understand that many of us are turned completely off by dirty looking tattooed people placing their inked up arm in front of you as they serve you their food. If any owner is reading this please take heed. Many of us like myself have almost stopped visiting restaurants because of this. It’s not appealing. Used to be bikers and convicts wore tats. You never saw a young woman with them and if you did you stayed away from her. Now it’s a norm and it’s twisted.
Hipsters will have to retreat to the Fondren and the Midtown for their fix
Support a blog that copies and pastes articles from other websites?
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” -Teddy Roosevelt
No need to speak ill of the dead. I never actually ate there (I have little ones - don't get out much), but many of my friends spoke highly of it.
As an aside, Jackson is probably 70% low income. That leaves a population of fewer than 45,000 who can afford to eat out. How many restaurants can a city of 45,000 support?
I LOVE to see things in Jackson fail.
When you have a city that continues to elect racist mayor after racist mayor and racist city council members, I cannot support ANYTHING in your City of Hate.
Good. Congratulations on another fail.
They gave their workers pretty much no notice. Some legit found out from the news. They handled this in the most shitty way possible.
Watch for The District to be sold as soon as CRE and lending conditions rebound along with a lofty press release about next chapters, pivots, reimagining, focus, etc from Duckworth, Hines, et al. Jackson is not a growth proposition. Time to cash out.
11:41 pm
It’s tough.
Think: How many employees work for 2 weeks at a job which is ending in 2 weeks?
The answer is zero
It’s a terrible situation all around.
I agree 8:37. I live here because I have to, but revel in the failures after failures. I despise this city and am thrilled when the bogus elected officials are exposed as the complete clowns they are.
Not the developer's fault. Great project. Brain drain is real. What 20-something, young professional in their right mind wants to stay in the metro. Top Golf take note.
"As an aside, Jackson is probably 70% low income. That leaves a population of fewer than 45,000 who can afford to eat out."
You may be ok at mathematical equations, but to suggest a restaurant depends on 'other than low-income Jacksonians'(to stay in business) will put you over there in the nonsense-column. Straight away!
Those who live in Jackson who are not low-income, do enjoy eating out. They just damned sure don't do it in Jackson.
The food in the suburbs is straight trash. There's a reason why Jackson gets all the press for culinary innovation. Anyone with taste doesn't want to head to another boring national chain in the suburbs
I don't cheer for Jxn to fail. but I do get amused at folks like 9:09pm.
They really do hate the suburbs. And that's fine with me.
I feel the people who think Jackson is a thriving city, they should stay in Jackson and enjoy.
Me and mines will stay in the suburbs because it provides the things that we value.
LaBrioche and Gold Coast Bar were spots I enjoyed spending money at, but I suppose if residents like 9:09 want to hurl insults at our suburban food options, I should stop darkening Jacksons business's doorsteps with my suburban dollars.
I really liked Cultivation Food Hall and am sad to see it go. It's a little difficult to get there, so I imagine that is partly to blame. Well, that and always feeling the need to watch your back in Jackson at night (or day), lest you get carjacked.
My favorite Cultivation Food Hall spot was Poke Stop. It moved to Flowood and seems to be thriving. Best poke bowls you'll find.
@ 4:31 Spot on. Unfortunately people in our state continue to keep our heads in the sand and are oblivious to what’s happening in other cities around us, despite having similar crime, political and socioeconomic issues…Just content to Monday morning quarterback the situation while offering nothing to the solution. Take a ride through downtown Birmingham. It was a ghost town after hours 15 years ago. “Ignorant is as ignorant does.”
I think where this business model fundamentally failed is in the developer's wanting to charge high rents to restaurant start-ups. Those costs were ultimately passed down to us as consumers, and it is not sustainable to pay $20 for a meal that is really not that great.
Either their development costs were too high or they were chasing unsustainable higher profit margins, but food hall concepts like this thrive when the up-and-coming restaurateurs have enough margin to truly experiment with their food and make it better.
Rent eats first and rent was expensive for them at Cultivation.
9:00 am insults others for not offering solutions, while offering no solutions.
PS:
For the record I have a solution. Elect leaders who are tough on crime and have more than one brain cell, and zealously encourage gentrification.
10:12 likely nails it.
I enjoyed Cultivation, But as with any test kitchen there were hits and misses.
Too many misses at a higher cost, and people dont bother with driving back.
Fine & Dandy, Sophomore Spanish and Cantina Laredo were all good to me and I miss them. I am not a pizza person so I cannot speak on Jeff's place.
But I would wager that high rent and concept kitchens were not a sustainable model.
"Cultivation was Mississippi’s first and only food hall"
Some people might have thought Cultivation was nicer or that it was better. But, I'm not sure how you make this claim unless you were unaware that there was a food court at Metrocenter in the early 1980's. Lie out of intent. Lie out of ignorance. Still a lie. You had the chance to keep your mouth shut.
@9:00 you are full of sh*t. Comparing Birmingham to this sh*thole is laughable. Check demographicsm crime and per capita income before you run your moron mouth.
@ 9:09 - Please name these sites of culinary innovation in Jackson, Mississippi. I live nearby and I'm hungry. Thanks.
PS: The name Cultivation seems more appropriate for the elected official who wears the cowboy hat.
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