Media & Immersive eXperience Center

The Mesa Downtown Food Hall and Restaurant Incubator transforms a former commercial space into a hub for culinary entrepreneurship, community gathering, and local resilience. Funded through the American Rescue Plan Act and operated in partnership with Local First Arizona, the project responds directly to the economic toll of COVID-19 on independent food businesses. The design balances flexibility with identity—accommodating up to eight rotating restaurant kiosks within a shared hall defined by graphic wayfinding, layered seating zones, and a porous edge that opens to the street. A generous patio anchors the building to the sidewalk, extending the social life of Main Street. Below, a dedicated test kitchen provides space for training, experimentation, and growth. From structure to signage, every element is tuned to support start-up energy and public experience—offering emerging restaurateurs a platform to take root, and giving Mesa a new place to eat, gather, and celebrate local talent.