Hip and hot retail trend to Austin restaurant scene

​​​​​​​​​​AUSTIN – Occupancy at Austin-area shopping centers hasn’t been this high in years. Restaurants are driving that growth. Fareground, a food hall, will open at 111 Congress Ave. early next year.​

The CBRE July 2016 U.S. Retail Restaurants Outlook​​ shows restaurants accounted for 15 percent of all retail spending during first quarter 2016—more than any other sector. Grocery stores were next, coming in at 14 percent.

CBRE expects the trend to continue, thanks not only to a strong economy, but also due to changing lifestyles.

Restaurateurs, local and national, have been busy adding locations in Central Texas in recent years, looking to meet growing demand. That will continue into the foreseeable future, according to CBRE senior vice president Eric DeJernett, with Austin continuing to be one of the nation’s hot spots.​