There’s a bit of a foodie amenities arms race happening in luxury apartment developments in the United States these days. The demand for healthier and more natural options are being answered by developers in several major markets like New York, Miami and Los Angeles.
Exclusive in-house patisseries, residents-only food delivery apps and room service are here. Welcome to a new, and delicious, world.
Pictured is the LifeCafe at Sky.
liveatsky.comNEW YORK
There’s no such thing as a free lunch, but there will be complimentary breakfast at 111 Murray in Tribeca when the building’s private cafe, called Patisserie, launches in 2018.
There, the James Beard award-winning bakery, Baked TriBeCa, will produce a variety of baked goods and espresso drinks. David Rockwell, who designed the interiors of nearby restaurants like Vandal, Gato and TAO Downtown, designed the cafe, which connects to a lounge and gardens, all of which are accessible only by tenants.
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"Instead of a basic tea and coffee service, 111 Murray Street will boast an exclusive patisserie providing residents something to look forward to when leaving their home every day," said Winston Fisher, a partner with Fisher Brothers, which is developing the building with Witkoff.
Sky, a mixed-use building which opened in Hell’s Kitchen in early 2016, will offer its renters a members-only food delivery app integrated into their amenities starting this month. Using the app, they’ll be able to order food and non-alcoholic beverages directly from LifeCafe, which is nestled within the building’s Life Time Athletic club.
"Residents can enjoy ordering takeout without having to deal with a long wait or telling their doorman to let in the delivery guy," said Mitchell Moinian, vice president of Moinian Group, developer of Sky.
In Fort Greene, Brooklyn, on the ground floor of 53-story luxury rental building, The Ashland, stands Gotham Market at The Ashland, a 16,000-square-foot market. Residents of the building upstairs will have a 10% discount and home delivery privileges.
In Gotham Market, John Stage, the founder of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que Restaurant Group adds his touch with a wood-fired pizza spot, a rotisserie chicken counter, a central bar, and a coffee counter with Devocion coffee. Diners can enjoy a nightcap with bourbon at Mason Jar or try something new at the rotating pop-up space.
Culinarily curious tenants at The Ashland can also attend cooking classes hosted by well-known chefs, such as Mr. Stage, at the building’s demo kitchen. And because even luxury apartments in New York City often have small kitchens and dining areas, the demo kitchen is also open for residents to reserve for dinner parties of up to 15 guests.
"We’ve found that having food halls—we’ve done two—appeals to everyone’s fascination with food, whether it’s eating it, cooking it, or just taking pictures of it," David Picket, president of Gotham told Mansion Global previously. "Millennials are into these shared experiences. They’re willing to devote more of their disposable income to these kinds of things, and they treat these places like their own personal kitchens."
Interior view of Gotham Market at the Ashland
GothamMIAMI
Property Markets Group (PMG), the developer behind condo building Echo Aventura, opened a private cafe at the tail end of 2016. Residents have direct access to coffee from Miami-based specialty coffee roaster Panther Coffee and kosher breakfast and breads from local bakery Zak the Baker, as well as "grab-n-go" breakfast items, salads, smoothies, and organic, kosher and non-GMO juices from the boutique cafe Dr Smood.
Residents have direct access to coffee and breads from local bakery at Echo Aventura.
PMG"Restaurants in condominiums often fail because they are either too costly for [homeowners’ associations] to subsidize or don’t generate enough revenue when they are exclusive to residents. The typical result is a generic cafe that lacks genuinely good food and service quality," said Ryan Shear, principal for PMG’s South Florida office.
While the cafe is not free, the idea is that by offering premium products as an exceptional building amenity, PMG will dodge the usual pitfalls of in-house eateries.
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The cafe opened last month, and PMG will expand its culinary offerings to its other properties in Miami, Echo Brickell, Muse in Sunny Isles, and 300 in Downtown Miami. Each building’s food offerings will be slightly different, according to the design and demographic of the developments, and an app will be available for tenants to effortlessly order meals to be delivered straight to their units.
LOS ANGELES
Slated for occupancy in 2017 in this health-conscious California city, Ten Thousand will give its renters access to nutritionists and daily snacks and refreshments.
"Lifestyle educators" on call include nutritionists, acupuncturists, massage therapists and onsite performance coaches. "The services from the lifestyle educators and nutritionists will include everything from nutrition coaching and personalized consulting to mapping out a plan for wellness, nutritional diet and optimizing energy," said Roman Speron, vice president of developer Crescent Heights.
Additionally, Ten Thousand also has a wellness suite where residents will receive guidance around nutrition, meal planning, cooking and methods used in high performance living, Mr. Speron said. Every program is personalized, according to him.
Outdoor chef's kitchen at Ten Thousand
Residents can also take advantage of an outdoor chef’s kitchen with Viking grills and warming drawers, all under a heated dining terrace. Inside, there’s another lounge inspired by Jimmy’s, an eatery that formerly ran its business at the location, along with a separate private dining room and catering kitchen.