Shop Penn

Popular Philadelphia eateries open in newly renovated Food Hall at 3401 Walnut. 

Media Relations Contact:  
Jennifer Rizzi, Communications Director 
Penn Facilities & Real Estate Services  
215.573.6107, rizzi@upenn.edu

 
‘Do not put off until tomorrow what you can [eat] today’ is how Ben Franklin may have approached his meal plan this week.  A premier line up of food and beverage offerings has opened its doors in the new Franklin’s Table food hall at 34th and Walnut Streets on the main campus of the University of Pennsylvania, announced Penn’s Division of Facilities & Real Estate Services. Penn has curated a group of critically acclaimed chefs and local best-in-class operators featuring a diverse menu of food options that will satisfy meat eaters and vegans, organic juice lovers and ice-cream fans alike.  

This modern food hall – an upgraded replacement dining venue for a former food court – is populated by high-quality, small-format food and beverage operators. This effort follows a national trend of renovations of dated food courts in favor of dynamic and upgraded food hall experiences.

“Penn has repositioned this space as a food hall in alignment with our overall Retail Master Plan, a project that seeks to bring to the Penn community a vibrant mix of local entrepreneur retailers at a variety of price points in a fast casual setting,” explained Ed Datz, the university’s executive director of real estate. 

Datz described the mix of seven food stalls as quality purveyors that can meet trending food desires: organic smoothies and juices, artisan baked goods, wood-fired pizza, sushi rolls, falafel, and top-tier sandwich selections -- most from local sources. 

Franklin’s Table, an 8,000 square foot contemporary dining hall atmosphere with an industrial feel has capacity for approximately 175 indoor seats and outdoor café tables on a back patio.  There are hints of Penn’s red and blue throughout with Ben Franklin quotes on the walls, tweaked to be about food, as Franklin was an original founding foodie himself.  Each stall showcases its individual flavor and character of their brand offerings in an eclectic mix of new concepts and established favorites:   

High Street Provisions  
High Street Hospitality Group’s Ellen Yin and Eli Kulp present a selection of their homemade baked goods, and innovative breakfast and lunch sandwiches from their Old City café, along with Rival Brothers Coffee, one of Philadelphia’s craft roasters  

DK Sushi 
A new concept developed from Schulson Collective’s Double Knot, DK Sushi offers a chef-driven menu of fresh, individual sushi rolls and specialty boxes  

Goldie 
Part of the successful CookNSolo restaurant group, Michael Solomonov and Steve Cook offer a second location for their vegan shop, featuring falafel, french fries and tehina shakes  

KQ Burger 
Known for the Fishtown butcher and Kensington Quarters restaurant, Michael Pasquarello’s new concept will offer creative selections of its popular burger sourced from the region’s most dedicated farmers and producers 

Pitruco Pizza  
A stationary location for the Craig LaBan-approved mobile wood-fired pizza food truck with a selection of personal pizzas changing daily  

The Juice Merchant Juicery and Café  
Serving 100% organic, vegan, fresh-pressed juices, smoothies, and whips 

Little Baby’s Ice Cream  
Philly-famous hand-made, small-batch, super-premium ice creams and non-dairy frozen desserts, both sweet and savory as a snack or end to a meal     

The new food hall, which will accompany several other new restaurants on Penn’s campus opening this spring, is designed to represent the University’s overall strategy and vision for retail to be a destination experience, explains Datz. “Grab a stool at one of the vendors’ counters for a quick bite or get a group together at the communal dining tables for a longer feast,” he said. “This unique mix of hip local eateries under one roof in the heart of Penn’s campus is sure to deliver a quality meal that has something for everyone who comes for a taste.”  With ‘a place for everything and everything in its place’ now, a visit to Franklin’s Table will make for a buzz-worthy culinary experience.   

It is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, seven days per week.  Franklin’s Table hours are Monday – Friday, 7am – 8pm; Saturday, 10am – 7pm; and Sunday 10am – 5pm.  

MSC Retail represented the University of Pennsylvania in the curation of leasing vendors, and Eimer architects designed the interior. 

About Penn Retail 
Penn’s retail district offers an inspired, contemporary shopping and dining experience, open to all. Spanning ten city blocks from 30th to 40th Streets and across Spruce, Walnut, and Chestnut Streets, the district features more than 75 curated shopping and dining outlets immersed in the region’s most beautiful and historic university campus. The diverse collection of retail offerings—including national brands and independent shops—provides the highest quality options at every price point for the Penn community, surrounding neighborhoods, and beyond. Visit the SHOP PENN website for a full listing of retailers.