A new food court in Washington Mall will allow people to mix and match their food choices and sit where they want in a central location that is likely to boost the number of visitors coming into the shopping mall.

The concept is popular in the US, UK and other parts of the world, but has not been tried out in Bermuda — until now.

Within the coming weeks the food court will open its doors and offer seven distinct food stations, from a salad bar to fresh pasta, Mexican dishes, an “around the world” buffet selection and freshly-pressed fruit and vegetable juices and smoothies.

Two of the mall’s current food outlets, China Grill and Delicious, are relocating to become part of the one-stop food court.

Customers can look forward to a central hub where they can take their pick of food choices and sit down for a snack or lunch.

There will be a large selection of healthy options, including gluten-free and vegan-friendly, alongside popular comfort food choices.

It will be a place where people can meet up and sit together to eat, even if they all have different tastes and buy from separate food stations within the court.

Antonello Fadda, one of the joint managers behind the enterprise, believes it will be a welcome addition to the mall.

The food court is located on the lower level of Washington Mall Phase III, next to the Beluga Bar sushi restaurant, which Mr Fadda also runs.

The large, open-plan space has been unoccupied since the newest section of the mall was constructed and opened in 2010.

“I was always interested in this big space,” said Mr Fadda. However, he was initially thinking about the potential of expanding the Beluga Bar into some of the vacant void.

Then he and Paul Slaughter, general manager of mall owner’s Washington Properties (Bermuda), came up with the idea of introducing a food court to Bermuda. A year after the idea was first brainstormed, Mr Fadda started to turn the concept into reality.

“A food court in Bermuda is something that had not been heard of before,” he said. He travelled to the US, England and Italy to gain knowledge of mall food courts and how they operated.

With support from Mr Slaughter, he set to work turning the long-empty retail space into a bright, airy food court. He wasn’t alone in the endeavour, also on-board are fellow managers Gilbert Darrell and Ilario Pepi.

“We went through a lot of struggles and it has been an expensive journey. The total cost has doubled, but I’m not worried. The investment will come back,” said Mr Fadda, who operates Soul Food Express.

He has had a long-standing involvement in the food sector, and for many years operated Mannie’s Soul Food Express, on Washington Lane.

With the food court he is now able to bring his various restaurant and food outlets, including the aforementioned China Grill and Delicious, into one concentrated space. “It makes good business sense. When everything is under one roof you can lower expenses and offer six or seven different kinds of food in one place,” he said.

The food court will have one large, single kitchen to service the seven food stations. Mr Fadda said that was the deal-maker for the project, because the alternative of having separate kitchens for each food outlet would have required much more space and money.

And a single business running the whole operation also makes it easier to coordinate tasks such as cleaning and security.

While pointing out that familiar menu items popular with Bermuda residents will be readily available, Mr Fadda said there is also a distinct lean towards healthy options.

Co-manager Mr Darrell worked for the Down to Earth food store for 14 years. He will be overseeing the food court’s Cafe Liquiteria, which offers a wide variety of freshly pressed juices and smoothies, together with coffees, fruit salad, cakes, dried foods and nuts.

“That’s what I’m bringing to the organisation,” said Mr Darrell, who has a background in healthy eating and fitness. He is looking forward to seeing the reaction to the food hall once it opens.

“It is great to have been given the opportunity to be part of this. And it’s not just a food court, it will also have an ambience that will benefit the mall.”

With an in-house bakery and dedicated chefs in charge of the various food stations, Mr Fadda and his fellow owner-managers are confident the enterprise will be a success.

Mr Pepi, who looks after the Delicious eatery, which has been in Washington Mall for many years, said there has been a buzz among customers anticipating the business’s imminent relocation to the food court.

He said: “We have 600 loyal customers at Delicious, and many keep asking when we will be making the move to the food court.”

A date for the opening of the food court has not yet been confirmed, but it is anticipated to be within the next few weeks.