The new Willis Lane underground dining and entertainment precinct in Wellington hosted 40,000 visitors within the first week after it opened.

The Precinct Properties-owned Willis Lane has 16 food, drink and entertainment stores including Behemoth Brewing Company, Nam Nam, Foo Du Dumplings, Crack Chicken, and Funlab’s Holey Moley and Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq.

Precinct Properties transformed the 4000sqm food court, formerly known as the Taste on Willis, taking inspiration from the railway stations and repurposed industrial buildings in New York, with the help of New Zealand interior designer Paul Izzard.

“This new destination is an opportunity to showcase a range of local vendors and new-to-market concepts, get Wellingtonians excited about dining out, and most importantly, inject Wellington’s hospitality scene with new life,” said Precinct Properties CEO Scott Pritchard.

“Wellington has always been known for its vibrant hospitality industry, and we want to play a part in rejuvenating it after such a challenging few years.”

Meanwhile, Funlab CEO Michael Schreiber said that he decided to expand operations to Willis Lane after experiencing success in his businesses in Auckland and Christchurch.