Tustin Mess Hall aims to be a safe community space during COVID-19 with outdoor dining, drive-in movies

The Tustin Mess Hall Market, part of the FLIGHT at Tustin Legacy creative office campus, opened about a year ago and is home to 10 restaurants owned by O.C. locals: VaKA Burger, Fonda Moderna, the Sandwich Society, Saigon Kitchen, the Little Greek, Slapfish, Big Parm, Fowl Play, the Lost Bean and Drink Bar.

The eventual goal for FLIGHT is to welcome new tenants to the adjacent office buildings and for the Mess Hall to be a communal hangout not only for the campus but for the public. Tenants were just starting to move in earlier this year, when COVID-19 hit the U.S. and work-from-home became the norm for office employees.

The Mess Hall closed for a couple months, but since then, the Lincoln Property Co. team led by Executive Vice President Parke Miller, has been developing ideas for how to make their 12,000-square-foot industrial, airy space with 40-foot glass walls a safe space during the pandemic.

Owners have produced safety videos that play outside as visitors walk into the Mess Hall, as well as adding hand-sanitizer stations. There is Plexiglas separating the food stall workers from the customers, as well as custom floor decals showing how people can social distance while ordering, waiting for food and picking up.

While all the interior seating has been removed, the outdoor patio has tables spaced 6 feet apart, and there are tables spread throughout the entire campus that can be used if customers prefer more privacy.

There is also an adjacent park with walking and biking trails that opened in February.

Miller said the business is trying to create a clean environment that’s like “an oasis in the desert,” while also offering options for different comfort levels.

“Everyone has a different risk tolerance for COVID, so our goal is so that if you want to just grab something quick and get out of there, you can, but if you want to come in and have an experience like you used to have before COVID in a spacious and flexible environment, you can,” he said.

Beginning Aug. 18, there will be weekly “drive-in, dine-out” movie events on top of their neighboring parking garage. It’s a partnership with Frida Cinema in Santa Ana, and organizers plan to include cult classics including 2001’s “Donnie Darko,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal.

The Tustin Mess Hall will also continue its Paint & Vino art series on Sept. 5 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The classes will take place outside, with seating spaced out, and participants can enjoy discounted beverages from the Drink Bar, as well as food or snacks from any of the other restaurants.

The business is also planning to bring back its regular yoga sessions on the patio.

“Food halls as a concept are all about being organic and authentic to the place, which means having local retailers as well as having [communal] experiences,” Miller said. “Before COVID, it was the density and activity and the people that created the energy. We’re in a world today where we can’t do that, so you have to be creative.”

The Mess Hall will also soon release an app that customers can use to order from any of the food stalls. The was developed initially for future office tenants, but it will now be open to the public.

“We’re trying to make it as easy and user-friendly as possible, to help things get as back to normal, or as close as we can get to normal, as soon as possible,” Miller said.

Support our coverage by becoming a digital subscriber.