When space adjacent to the shuttered Miramar Theatre became available, Tiger Hospitality couldn’t pass up an opportunity to join plans to redevelop the historic San Clemente complex.
“We jumped on it,” Managing Partner Berke Bakay told the Business Journal, highlighting the property’s proximity to the beach. “I don’t think there’s anything like it.”
Bakay said Tiger Hospitality, a San Diego company focusing on food hall ownership, aims to fill a void in the San Clemente market with Miramar Food Hall, which is slated to open before the end of the year with 17 food and beverage concepts.
The 12,632-square-foot food hall replaces the former bowling alley next to the larger Miramar Theatre in San Clemente’s North Beach district. The entire complex has been closed since 1992.
Tiger Hospitality, which also took over a food hall in San Diego’s Little Italy, is curating the site with “your usual suspects” of cuisine, said Bakay, adding that there’s only one vacancy left to fill from a slew of options.
Eateries coming onboard include El Puerto Street Tacos, Graciously Thai, a new venture called Hen Hause from Thyda Sieng—who created the now closed Fire Bird in Long Beach, Norigiri and the Seattle-based MOTO Pizza. The latter is a regional Washington state chain known for its Detroit-style pies made with a 100-year-old sourdough starter.
Three of the dining options were developed internally by Tiger Hospitality: Cosmos Burger, La Vida and Lobster Lab. Two bars will also be run by Tiger Hospitality.
Bakay said that the creation of the in-house brands was a result of the high turnover during COVID-19.
“It initially was born out of necessity,” he said. “My team and I sat down and said, ‘What are some concepts that we could create from scratch that has legs… in any other food hall that we operate in the future?’”
Those three brands first opened at The Windmill in Carlsbad, where Bakay is a managing partner. The concepts will also open in San Diego’s Little Italy next year, where Tiger Hospitality is currently developing another venue.
As for the last vendor space at Miramar, Bakey says they’re reviewing options.
“The reason we haven’t signed anybody there yet is because we have multiple people that are interested now that they see the project coming,” Bakay said.
Separately from Tiger Hospitality’s upcoming food hall, a new private events venue is slated to open this fall by Wedgewood Weddings & Events.
Opportunity for Small Business Owners
The curated line-up supports small business owners, Bakay said.
“Most people, most chefs, that are passionate about food, they really can create an opportunity for themselves, work for themselves and take a shot at the owning their own business versus maybe working for a company,” he said.
Bakay added the food hall model allows the vendors to afford a space for their venture and not have to upcharge customers “to make a good living.
“We wanted to create what is relevant for San Clemente.”
