Have you seen the twinkling lights on the new marquee at the corner of the Fox Theater’s parking lot? The words “Food Lab” gives a hint about what is happening inside the space at Market and 6^th Streets in Downtown Riverside. The marquee’s message states that the Riverside Food Lab (RFL) is preparing to open in the Spring of 2018.

RFL is one of many unique developments from Arteco Partners, a Pomona based, innovative “re-developer” specializing in the “adaptive-reuse of historic structures and in-fill development in mixed-use downtown neighborhoods.” While this building is a newer structure, it is in the heart of the historic downtown.

The Riverside Food Lab concept is a communal food hall with 14 artisanal eateries and bars. Arteco’s President and co-founder Jerry Tessier is excited  to bring this idea to Riverside.

“Downtown Riverside, given all the current and planned developments – from the Fox Performing Arts Center to the coming Imperial Hardware Lofts project — is the right venue for this type of niche development. And with the 14 different eateries and bars inside the Riverside Food Lab, you can go with a group of people or you can even just go on a date, and you don’t have to decide what you’re eating before you get there.” – Jerry Tessier

Start your morning with coffee from Augies and end the day with craft beers at Beer Farm. In between there’s ramen, raw juice, creole, BBQ, acai bowls, waffle treats, “Chicano style” Mexican, Lebanese, and wood fired pizzas. These are just the first 11 vendors to join the RFL family.

Besides local food vendors, the RFL plans on local artists creating murals for the walls, and will bring live music and special events to the adjacent patios adding flavor and color to the festivals and events already taking place in our City of Arts and Innovation.

Excitement is growing – stay tuned as more vendors join RFL by ‘liking’ them on Facebook, or visit their website at riversidefoodlab.com.

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