Mae’s Food Hall set for Oct. 13 grand opening

Published 5:45 am Sunday, October 8, 2017

Mae’s Food Hall isn’t even officially open yet — and already the Warehouse District’s newest addition is one bright and busy place.

At Saturday’s soft opening — a trial run when every piece of the six-restaurant, central-dining-area community venue was firing on all cylinders — an inquisitive tide of Oktoberfest revelers streamed in throughout the day.

It took most of them a while to stream back out. At a place like Mae’s, nobody seems in any hurry to leave.

That, says Mae’s owner and ‘97 Hanceville graduate Shane Quick, is by design. Food is just the cornerstone for what he’s envisioned: a place where people have a reason to find what else they have common, and to linger over those connections.

“There’s nothing more human than food and eating, and I think that can happen…I already do see it happening,” said Quick, taking in Saturday’s crowd over a slice of freshly-made pizza.

“I feel like the atmosphere of this venue encourages people to talk to other people and get to know each other. And in a community like this, that’s really a great thing — because we already have such great people here.

“We don’t want anybody to feel like they should be in a hurry here; it’s designed for people to stay and talk to each other.”

The interior plan at Mae’s bears that out. The counter-service restaurants line the dining hall’s outer perimeter; tables of varying heights and sizes are spaced comfortably down the building’s central axis.

There are all kinds of novel opportunities for unforced interactive moments: a picnic-style table whose seats are nothing more than playground swings. Full-length dining counters like the one fronting the pizzeria at Strada di Napoli, where chatty guests kept barstools occupied throughout the day. An arcade and games area that, judging from Saturday’s activity, doesn’t discriminate according to age (or anything else).

When Mae’s officially opens its doors on Oct. 13, Quick promises affordable prices, a one-of-a-kind, authentically-sourced menu, and a decidedly egalitarian atmosphere from day one.

“This is truly for everyone: it’s not for millennials versus older, affluent people; it’s not just for people who have lots of money,” Quick said. “No one is excluded. We want people to meet each other here and stay a while. We want them to look at this as that kind of place.”

Room to grow has been built into the food hall’s launch strategy. Two empty restaurant bays await new tenants (and there’s a waiting list of potential suitors.) Quick is working with Cullman’s city leaders on devising a parking plan that will accommodate the inevitable uptick in local traffic. Customer feedback — something Quick said he’s come to value in a community with taste worth trusting — may even influence future food offerings.

“Cullman always surprises us at how well they’ll support things,” Quick said. “I think we’re a hidden gem in that way, because even though we don’t look like that big of a city, this city serves an enormous amount of people.

“I also think that people in Cullman are more diverse than we give them credit for; they have more of an appetite for things that are cultural far more than we give them credit for. Who’s to say that, in two or three years’ time, we won’t be ready for Indian food; for Mediterranean food? I believe this city’s open to embracing more options.”

There’s a local ethos behind the concept for Mae’s, says Quick. The food hall is named in honor of his grandmother, Linnie Mae Quick, a woman whose commitment to a lifetime of hard work never eroded the warm and accommodating home life she created for her family.

“She lived in Hanceville, and like most people here, spent a lot of her life in the City of Cullman: shopping, paying bills, working,” he explained. “She worked at a convenience store for 40 years, mopping the floor up until she was 70 years old. Never missed a day; never late.

Mae’s hours of operation

Sunday: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Monday – Wednesday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Thursday – Saturday: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

“She taught me how to work hard; to enjoy life; to enjoy other people’s company, and never to think you’re better than anybody else. She had a huge impact on my life. Every one of us has a Linnie Mae, and maybe a place like this will bring people together and help remind them of the Linnie Mae in their lives.”

 A sense you’re at home; the feeling of being at peace in an environment meant to embrace you and everyone you cherish — it’s the yardstick by which Quick says he’ll ultimately measure his venue’s success.

“It’s what my grandmother’s living room was: a place to gather and eat food; to talk about life,” Quick reflected.

“That was the essence of her home, and we’re trying to bring that here; to offer those kinds of avenues for everybody. The great thing about my grandmother’s home was that you could relax. You could go to the kitchen and eat anything in the house. You could play games. You could just settle in and stay put.

“That’s what I want it to feel like for people here — like home.”