New Food Hall From Todd English Coming To Stamford Town Center

STAMFORD, CT — Although a few businesses left the Stamford Town Center in 2021, the mall appears to be on an upswing, with new restaurants and tenants taking up space in recent months.

Terra Gaucha, a Brazilian Steakhouse, plans to open this spring at 230 Tresser Blvd. where the Cheesecake Factory used to be. Also, a new Mexican restaurant, Puerto Vallarta, plans on opening next to Capital Grille later this year.

In the coming days, the STC plans to formally announce another big addition that's one of a kind to its roster of food establishments.

Last week in a news release, renowned celebrity chef Todd English and global entrepreneur Keith Burkard announced the formation of their newest joint venture, The English Hospitality Group, or EHG.

EHG plans to open up a large food hall at the STC in early 2024, Burkard told Patch this week.

The food hall will take up 80,000 square feet over two floors in the mall, and feature rotating cuisines — like French, Mediterranean, Asian and classic American fare — to go along with immersive and dynamic art exhibitions from around the world.

"When you come to this food hall you're going to get an amazing culinary experience alongside an environment that has so many discovery viewings of art, of venues and scenes from around the world," Burkard said. "We really want to elevate that experience at the Stamford Town Center."

Burkard also said the space will lend itself to creators and influencers on platforms like TikTok and Instagram.

As part of the facility, Burkard said EHG is working with the city of Stamford to set up "ghost" kitchens within the space, which will deliver Figs Pizza by Todd English, burgers from English's Pound Burger, as well as things like chicken wings and sandwiches from celebrity chef Aaron May.

Other celebrity chefs will have concepts for ghost kitchens as well, Burkard said.

Robotic food delivery within a 3-4 mile radius of the STC could become a reality, Burkard noted.

"There's a lot of that on the West Coast, and we want to be kind of the first company to bring it to Stamford as a sandbox site to test out a couple of different utilizations," Burkard said.

Burkard said Stamford is the "perfect location" for the food hall and art exhibition, particularly because of the volume and traffic that flows through the city and I-95 on a daily basis. He hopes the space can be a destination for people not only locally, but in the tri-state area and even globally down the road.

"This project is going to have a very substantial impact on Stamford in general. We're going to bring over 500 jobs to the market, and we're going to invest over $20 million," Burkard said.

See also: Nationally Known Supermarket Chain To Open First CT Store: Here’s Where

• Cops Say Woman Assaulted Student At Hockey Game: Report
• Basketball Player Charged With Assault On Referee

EHG hopes to partner with a local university that might want to have a satellite campus at the STC to educate students on some of the design work and media components of the space, as well as general managing a large attraction.

A culinary academy from English could also benefit students, Burkard said.

Burkard hopes EHG can create the next wave of hospitality with a model that's community-driven.

"We want everything to be a collaborative environment where everyone wins," he said.

A formal announcement is expected soon, STC General Manager Dan Stolzenbach told Patch.