For the final installment of my Master Plan of the Columbia Mall, I would like to discuss restaurants and how to add more of them to the Mall in order to keep it viable with the slew of new development coming to Downtown Columbia. Although I wouldn't call a Restaurant an Anchor, I would call it a draw. The right mix of Restaurants can complement the inline Mall Stores and lure shoppers inside the enclosed Mall. Restaurants have been added to the outside of the Mall in recent years but I'm adding more in different parts of the Mall property to lure Shoppers from all corners.
It wasn't that long ago that dining options in Downtown Columbia were scarce. Most were located at the lake front with bad visibility from Little Patuxent Parkway. Mainstays have been Clyde's, Tomato Palace & Sushi Sono although Tomato Palace has recently closed. The closing of the Rusty Scupper and its long term vacancy only to be raised and replaced with an Office Building and the revolving door of tenants in the space next to Sushi Sono, dining options weren't the greatest Downtown.
As Lakefront dining options weren't that great, change was afoot across the street at the Mall. Since its opening until the mid 1990s, the Mall was positioned as mid market. That all changed when Lord & Taylor and Nordstrom announced that they would be anchoring a major renovation/addition to the Mall. A new wing leading to Nordstrom was added, Lord & Taylor saw the original parking garage demolished with two rising on either side of Lord & Taylor, Hecht's (now Macy's) added a third floor, an LL Bean opening as a Junior Anchor as did an exterior Bank of America Branch, a 14 screen Movie Theatre, and three exterior restaurants.
These phased renovations to the Mall occurred from roughly 1997-2003 and the Mall's position as a mid market Mall had changed to that of an upscale shopping destination as high end tenants began flocking to the Mall. The three exterior restaurants component to the expansion proved a turning point to dining options not just at the Mall but Downtown in general. The last time a full service restaurant was in the Mall was the early '90s when Friendly's closed. After that, there weren't any until the early 2000s when the three restaurants at the Mall opened. The restaurants at the time were PF Changs, Z Tejas (later Pizzeria Uno), and Champs. In late 2005 a Cheesecake Factory opened adjacent to the original three.
These restaurants were a departure from the Mom & Pop type that had been at the lakefront in earlier times. These were trendy chains that had a built in following with new modern spaces steps away from the now upscale Mall. To say these Restaurants were a hit would be an understatement. Long lines for tables were the norm and the demand for more Restaurants was high. However, there wasn't much building going at the time.
This changed in the early 2010s when it was announced that LL Bean was leaving and that the space would be redeveloped as an outdoor Promenade leading into the Mall between Sears and Nordstrom and directly across from Lord & Taylor. Among the new Restaurants for the Promenade which opened in 2014 were Maggiano's Little Italy, Seasons 52 Grille, & Zoe's Kitchen. 2016 proved a difficult year for the original Restaurants as Champs & Unos both closed. Both of these closings had to do more with parent company woes and corporate restructuring than the profitability of these individual locations.
Those locations must have been quite profitable as these vacant locations didn't stay empty for long. To further compound this was the fact that new restaurant spaces are being built at a record pace in Downtown Columbia. The Champs space was split in two with the popular Shake Shack taking half and Urban Plates taking the rest. The Pizzeria Unos space will be taken over by Walrus Oyster House which has opened earlier this month.
Even more restaurant space has been made available at the Mall with the second floor of Sears becoming vacant. This large space was quickly divided up into three spaces all of which will serve food. I hesitate to call two of the spaces "restaurants" since food is not their soul purpose. Barnes & Noble will be taking a portion of the space. This will not simply be a Book Store but also a new Wine Bar concept the company is trying out. The largest portion of this space will be taken up by Main Event Entertainment which is a Dave & Busters type venue with Bowling, Laser Tag etc. Food and Drink will also be served. The last portion of the Sears second floor will be taken up by Uncle Julio's Mexican Restaurant which opened on May 1st.
With an influx of Restaurants coming to the Mall, I'm sure wondering what other ones I could possibly be proposing or where they could possibly be located. If you had been reading my earlier additions of this plan, you would know that I'm planning to add a second Lifestyle Center at the Mall Entrance adjacent to Lord & Taylor. The two Restaurants I would place here (in addition to other Retail) would be Ruth's Chris Steakhouse and California Pizza Kitchen.
At the Food Court entrance, I would build out that entrance and add a Ducley and a TeaVolve on either side of it both with entrances from the Mall and the outside.
Lastly I would put a Miss. Shirley's Cafe in between Macy's and Nordstrom on the north side of the Mall. This part of the Mall exterior lacks attraction and by building an already successful concept to it, this part of the Mall which has no exterior draws other than the entrances to the department stores. The loading dock from Nordstrom would have to be re located behind the parking garage in a lower foot traffic area.
Now that I've wrapped up my Master Plan for the Mall, I want to remind you of the basics; 2nd Lifestyle Center, Shrinking down Department Stores, Junior Anchors, and exterior Restaurants. Adding these additional components to the Mall should help it continue to thrive from the outside in.
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