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Did Eola Food Hall open in downtown Orlando by late 2025, with construction starting before the end of 2024, as its developer and leasing agent said?

The Roadmap Reckoner · Eola Food Hall, 150 E. Central Blvd., downtown Orlando, Orange County, Florida · last checked 2026-10-22

Verdict	PENDING, OVERDUE (by 295 days)
Promiser	Lincoln Property Company (Shayna Hansen, director, leasing) and developer James Ekbatani, as reported by GrowthSpotter
Place	Eola Food Hall, 150 E. Central Blvd., downtown Orlando, Orange County, Florida
Promised	Open by late 2025 ("their goal is to open by late 2025", GrowthSpotter, October 24, 2024); construction to start before the end of 2024; counted from December 31, 2025
Delivered / status	Not shown as open as of October 22, 2026: the main building permit BLD2025-11318 reads "Open" with no final or certificate-of-occupancy date (city data updated October 21, 2026). Orlando Weekly, October 2, 2026: look for it to open in November
Last checked	2026-10-22

Verdict: PENDING, OVERDUE, by 295 days as of October 22, 2026 (counted from December 31, 2025, the last day of "late 2025"). In October 2024 the food hall's leasing agent, Shayna Hansen of Lincoln Property Company, said "their goal is to open by late 2025", and the developer, James Ekbatani, was reported to be starting construction before the end of 2024 [C1, C1b, C2]. The City of Orlando's permit record shows the main building permit was applied for on February 12, 2025 and issued on October 8, 2025, 43 and 281 days after December 31, 2024 [C7, C9]. The hall is not shown as open: that permit's status reads "Open", the city's dataset was last updated on October 21, 2026, and the newest statement, from Orlando Weekly on October 2, 2026, says to look for it to open in November [C10, C21, C27]. This entry reads "late 2025" as by December 31, 2025. The leasing agent gave no day.

Last checked: October 22, 2026.

The promise. Open by late 2025, with "approximately 10 vendors", and start construction before the end of 2024 [C1, C1b, C1c, C2].
Where it stands. Not shown as open. The permit record has no final or certificate-of-occupancy date for the main permit, the exterior-seating permit has no issue date, and the last public date given is November 2026 [C10, C18, C22, C27].
The new dates. April 2026 (Orlando Weekly, December 2025), September 2026 (The Orlando Real, June 2026), November 2026 (Orlando Weekly, October 2026) [C24, C25, C26, C27].
The scope. About 10 vendors and a restaurant in 2024 and 2025; 13 vendor stalls and no restaurant by June 2026, plus a wine bar, a downstairs expansion and exterior seating added by permit [C1c, C24, C26b, C16, C17, C18].

The promise

GrowthSpotter, "Downtown’s Eola Food Hall to open in late 2025", October 24, 2024 [C1]:

"Shayna Hansen, Director at Lincoln, said their goal is to open by late 2025." [C1]

"Orlando developer James Ekbatani will start construction before the end of the year on the newest food hall" [C1b]

Lincoln Property Company's own release, dated October 25, 2024, says the same about the opening: "Construction is set to begin by year-end with opening in late 2025, according to Shayna Hansen" [C2]. WFTV and ClickOrlando repeated it in the same week [C3, C4]. No cost was given with the promise [C1, C2].

Timeline

July 19, 2024. WhatNow, citing Orlando Weekly, wrote that the hall would open at 150 E. Central Blvd. and that "An opening date hasn’t been announced" [C5].
October 24 and 25, 2024. The promise [C1, C1b, C2]. The release describes a 32,000-square-foot space whose first two floors become a 15,000-square-foot food hall [C2b].
January 23, 2025. The City of Orlando's record for the University Club's restaurant business tax receipt at 150 E. Central Blvd. shows a close date of this day. Its massage-therapist receipt closed May 29, 2025 [C6, C6b].
February 12, 2025. Building permit BLD2025-11318, project name "EOLA VIEW FOOD HALL", was applied for. It is an alteration of 17,726 square feet valued at $2,100,000; the contractor is Batia Construction Company LLC [C7, C8, C11].
July 15, 2025. A business tax receipt for "EOLA VIEW", held by Everest Concepts LLC, opened for a catering service and a hall for hire [C20].
October 8, 2025. BLD2025-11318 was issued, after fees were collected on September 19 and five review cycles [C9, C9b]. A mechanical permit ($270,000) followed on October 17 and a fire permit ($19,796) on November 5 [C12, C13].
December 4 and 23, 2025. Orlando Weekly wrote that the hall "is on target for an April 2026 opening" [C24, C25].
December 31, 2025. The end of "late 2025". The main permit shows no final or certificate-of-occupancy date [C10, C22].
January 21 and 27, 2026. A plumbing permit ($280,000) and an electrical permit ($198,000) were issued [C14, C15].
June 5 to July 23, 2026. A permit for a wine bar on level 2 (780 square feet, $150,000) was applied for and issued [C16].
June 8, 2026. The Orlando Real wrote "The opening is estimated for September" [C26] and that a first-floor restaurant had been swapped for two stalls, "bringing the total number of vendor stalls to 13" [C26b].
July 2 to September 1, 2026. A permit for downstairs expansions (1,638 square feet, $250,000) was applied for and issued [C17]. On July 14 a permit for exterior seating (700 square feet, $60,000) was applied for [C18].
October 2, 2026. Orlando Weekly: "Look for the long -awaited Eola Food Hall to open in November at 150 E. Central Blvd. downtown." It names La Coolmena Tex-Mex Birriería and Croissant Gourmet as tenants [C27].
October 13, 2026. A fire permit ($2,400) for "EOLA FOOD HALL" was issued [C19].
October 21, 2026. The permit dataset was last updated; the main permit's status was "Open" [C10, C21].

What changed, and why, in the record's own words

The construction start. The promise put it before the end of 2024 [C1b]. The permit application is dated February 12, 2025 and the permit was issued October 8, 2025 [C7, C9]. The records read do not say when work began on site.
The opening date. The project's own website shows both "OPENING FALL 2025" and "Eola Food Hall - Opening 2026"; the page is undated [C23]. Later dates are in the press: April 2026, September 2026, November 2026 [C24, C26, C27]. In the sources read, none gives a reason for any move.
The scope. 2024: "approximately 10 vendors" [C1c]. December 2025: 10 vendors and a restaurant [C24]. June 2026: 13 vendor stalls after the restaurant was swapped for two stalls [C26b]. The permits add a wine bar, a downstairs expansion and exterior seating [C16, C17, C18].
Size. Lincoln's release gives 32,000 square feet for the space and 15,000 for the food hall [C2b]. The building permit records 17,726 square feet [C8]. This entry did not reconcile them.

What it cost

The promise gave no cost [C1, C2].
Dollar figures in city records. The permit valuations read are $2,100,000 for the main building permit and $270,000, $198,000, $280,000 and $19,796 for the mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire permits of 2025 and early 2026 [C8, C12, C13, C14, C15]; $150,000, $250,000 and $60,000 for the three 2026 building permits [C16, C17, C18]; and $2,400 for the October 2026 fire permit [C19]. These are the permit applicants' valuations. They are not a project budget, and no source read states one.

What is still open

Whether the hall has opened since October 13, 2026. The main permit's status is "Open", which the city's data does not define. In the same dataset, 185 of the 237 building-permit alterations issued in September and October 2025 carry a final date; this permit carries none [C10, C22]. No site visit was made.
Who is behind the permits. The owners named are DeLand Property Development LL(C) and UC Orlando Central LLC on the main permit, with HSF EOLA LLC on the parcel [C7b]. The records read do not link them to Mr. Ekbatani.
Tenants. Two tenants are named, La Coolmena and Croissant Gourmet, "with more to come" [C27]. The only business tax receipt under an Eola name is the catering and hall-for-hire one [C20].

What this entry did not check

City Council, Municipal Planning Board and other board agendas and minutes. None was read [the trace].
State licences (DBPR), county deed and appraiser records, and the state corporate registry [the trace].
The CityFeet and CommercialCafe listings, which refused a scripted request [the trace].
The hall's social-media accounts, and any record dated after October 21, 2026 [the trace].
The building. No site visit was made.

Sources

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