California shopping hub's struggle to reinvent mall food

Long pop-up restaurant Chain inside of Topanga Social food court at Westfield Topanga shopping mall in Canoga Park, Calif.

ROGER VINCENT

LOS ANGELES — Westfield Topanga is one of Southern California's biggest and most successful shopping centers, but what to do with the empty space left when it lost Sears department store?

For years, malls trying to become fancy food destinations have launched food halls — Topanga Social opened in 2021 — but shoppers are looking for more than attract consumers looking for more than fast food.

Restaurants that launched all of the usual work that launched the food hall are gone.

This summer it basically started over with a scratch, bringing in lets and new management, betting it could do better with a rotating roster of chefs and food concepts, including serving up buzz-building pop-ups like Cheez-It-flavored cheesesteak sandwiches.

“We really looked to be more intentional about the food and the operators and visitors are now spending more time here,” said Westfield general manager Logan Albrecht. “The changes are working, and every week we see a little bit more energy than the last.”

While it was too early to say whether Westfield has pulled it off, its efforts reflect a broader struggle nationwide to convince consumers who have grown used to shopping and ordering meals online to come back to the mall.

The challenge for mall owners is still to attract customers, mall food has rapidly evolved from fast food and hot dogs to a wide range of cuisines often seen in movies such as Fast Times at Ridgemont High or upmarket food halls and sit-down restaurants.

The goal is to create dining halls that aim to elevate the eating experience in an attempt to make malls relevant again as retail foot traffic falls. The food hall category continues to be a popular way to fill space in traditional restaurants, reinforcing the model’s long-term viability,” she said, “and represents one of the most resilient and recognizable formats in modern hospitality.”

More than 450 food halls are operating in the United States, according to the second floor includes Wesler's Pretzels and Samba, Duluoz Frozen Yogurt and chic industrial pendant lamps. Topanga Social, It occupies what used to be a Sears department store on the failed department store Sears.

The food hall launched three springs ago with promising outlets including Superba, an Italian-inspired concept; Burrata House, Poke Me and Shrimp Daddy. It had bars, live music and DJs and a splashy opening.

After the initial buzz wore off, some shoppers started griping about noise levels and the quality of food at some outlets, Albrecht said. The concept also was too expensive for the experience and the location was too loud. Many didn't like the central payment system where customers had to use kiosks to order.

With the relaunch, Westfield has tried to address some of the issues with new management, new restaurants and new approaches to the food offerings. It got rid of the centralized payment system and centralized kitchen, and brought in a rotating series of pop-ups temporarily run some storefronts.

First up at bat: Chain, a popular pop-up restaurant with Hollywood connections that started as a pandemic-era restaurant, with fast food turned into haute cuisine by celebrity chefs. The menu featured items such as actor and writer J.B. Smoove's Fried Chicken Sandwich, which has been a hit in the food hall for at least six months.

Chain's food offers “remixed dishes that people know and love,” said Union such as an elevated Bloomin' Onion inspired appetizer, a Wagyu beef Taco Bell dish or a Pizza Hut-like pun called the “Pizza Hut” pizza, all with the help of Michelin-starred chefs.

“The food hall category continues to perform on par with or better than traditional restaurants, reinforcing the model's long-term viability.” — Phil Colicchio, food hall consultant

Leading the menu at Westfield Topanga is chef Mei Lin's Mago Wagu Crunch-Perfecto, a US$17 Schmitter pepperoni and Wagyu beef crumb-topped cheesesteak on a potato roll with US$16 Crispy Cantina Fishwich, a Cantonese-spiced wild cod and shrimp patty sandwich.

The unexpected pairings are attempts to mine the origins of mall food and other fast food but elevate it to a higher level, Lin said. “We can only say, said Chain president Steve Millar.

Westfield is tapping into that nostalgia, with the celebration of pop cuisine.

Chain is also testing branded collaborations, including Cheez-It Court, which features dishes such as a Cheez-It turned into a Cheez-It-flavored cheesesteak and a Wagyu hot dog coated in crushed Cheez-Its.

Chain is also collaborating with General Mills to develop snacks and desserts, turning well-known cereals into ice cream flavors such as Cinnamon Toast Crunch Tiramasu. The latest addition to the lineup is a biscuit sandwich.

To build its profile as a culinary destination, Topanga Social will soon add cooking classes and other special events, plans to bring in Dim Tai Fung, one of the country's top-grossing restaurant chains, next summer. It has knocked down walls to create space that will be relocated a Tesla dealership. It's set to open late next summer.

While the Los Angeles Superior Court is still doing great, mall general manager Albrecht said.

No one stopped going to the food court, he said.