Florida Mall is apparently trying to move beyond the common food court experience.
Simon (no last name given), the company that owns the mall, this summer will open what it is calling its Dining Pavilion, a 105,000 square foot space. It has announced the tenant lineup and there isn’t an Orange Julius among them.
Among the 23 restaurants that will be part of the Pavilion are: El Meson Sandwiches; CARVERA Argentinian Grill; Carlo’s Bakery; la Madeleine; Bubbleology; Tobu; Five Guys Burger and Fries; Charley’s Philly Steaks; Dumpling and Noodle Bar; Chicken Now; A&W All American Food; Asian Chao, Sbarro; Taco Bell; Häagen-Dazs; Spoleto Italian Kitchen; Nature’s Table; FRESH – Healthy Café; Ugrean; SUBWAY; and Jamba Juice. OK, that last one is a little Orange Juliesque, and aren’t we all a little tired of Nature’s Table? But I’ll admit I haven’t seen an Argentinian grill in a mall food court before, so that’s exciting.
According to a press release, the Dining Pavilion will be located “between American Girl and Dillard’s on the north side of the mall,” which is a way of avoiding saying that it replaces Saks Fifth Avenue, which bugged out of the mall a while back.
The Dining Pavilion will have indoor and outdoor seating — 1400 seats in all. Maybe diners won’t be forced to do the Food Court Walk of Desperation where you wander throughout the space looking for one empty space with a clean table.
When the Dining Pavilion opens, the existing food court and its adjacent retail space will be redeveloped for new retailers. Wouldn’t it be great if Saks moved in there?
