Over 100 restaurants will go into an enormous mall in New Jersey next to MetLife Stadium, with more than 20 full-service restaurants, two food halls, and dozens of grab-and-go options opening in spring 2019. American Dream in East Rutherford has been 16 years in the making, and many are incredulous that the ambitious project — which includes shops, an actual indoor ski slope, a Nickelodeon water park, Dreamworks theme park, ice skating rink, and more — is actually happening
On the food side of the $3 billion, 4.5 million-square-foot project, there will be more than 20 full-service restaurants, a Vice-branded food hall, a Kosher food hall, and about 50 grab-and-go options. No individual concepts have been announced beyond the Munchies food hall, which Digiday reports will have 18 stalls, including pizza and sandwich ones; a cooking studio; and two rotating pop-up restaurants servicing 400 seats. Munchies also plans to sell branded merchandise and host marketing events there as a way to induce revenue and promote the brand.
This history of American Dream is full of twists and turns. The massive undertaking has gone through several owners, starts and stops, and concepts over the course of 16 years. It’s now owned by developer Triple Five, which is sinking billions of dollars into the project, which was supposed to be done by the Super Bowl in 2014.
It’s long been a blight on the area, with its garish exterior that former NJ governor Chris Christie called “the ugliest damn building in New Jersey and maybe America.” Once Triple Five became involved, it rebranded the space from Xanadu to American Dream. It will also turn the outside white. The developer expects 40 million people to go through each year. Stay tuned for more.