It’s official.
Chronic Cantina received approval from the city and expects to open at Triangle Square in Costa Mesa in December or January.
After much debate over whether to focus on entertainment for the ailing Triangle shopping center, it seems to be headed that way.
But it hasn’t been easy. Chronic Cantina, a casual Mexican restaurant, ran into some snags with the city’s Planning Commission, said Keith Scheinberg, partner with Dan Biello in Chronic Cantina.
Biello also owns Chronic Tacos in Newport Beach.
“It was a fight the whole way,” Scheinberg said.
The city was concerned about having more alcohol flowing at Triangle Square alongside Sutra Lounge, which, up to now, has been Triangle’s saving grace after losing NikeTown and Virgin Megastore in recent months.
Now that Chronic Cantina has been approved for food, Scheinberg said the partners are after an entertainment permit to allow dancing.
Chronic Cantina plans to have Mariachi bands, big plasma TVs for sports and themed nights such as reggae nights.
10 and Growing
As Irvine Spectrum Center celebrates its 10-year mark, the folks at The Irvine Company have been grooming the mall to become a “town center”,a community meeting place.
Some malls have gone that route, adding more community services such as post offices and museums.
Whether the Spectrum adds more civic stuff remains to be seen. But retail is flowing, with Nordstrom having just opened.
Here’s a partial list of what’s coming this fall: Anthropologie, bebe, Under Armour, Shana, Metropark, Tall Girl Shop, Brighton Collectibles, The Body Shop, The Sharper Image, Perfumania, Select Comfort, This Little Piggy Wears Cotton, Naartjie and J. Stephens.
Going Organic
Seattle-based Organic to Go, an organic grocer and cafe, is opening three stores in Orange County: one in Costa Mesa and two in Irvine. They’re set to open this fall.
The stores are former Briazz Inc. sandwich shops. Organic to Go acquired Seattle-based Briazz out of bankruptcy.
“While it is retail, it’s just as much catering,” said Jason Brown, Organic to Go’s chief executive.
The stores plan to deliver to workplaces, he said.
Organic to Go makes soups, salads and sandwiches, such as portabello mushroom. It also has a breakfast menu that includes burritos and banana bread.
Brown cofounded the company in 2004 after selling his last venture, Custom Nutrition Center, to Drugstore.com Inc.
Brown and his partners spent some time thinking about Organic to Go, he said. The food had to be superior and worth the added expense, he said. But it couldn’t be too pricey.
“Office workers are office workers,” he said.
They’re only budgeting a certain amount for lunch.
Organic to Go also is opening three stores in Los Angeles.
Looking Good San Diego
South Coast Plaza is reaching out to San Diego.
The shopping center recently was the presenting sponsor for the annual outdoor Country Friends fashion show in Rancho Santa Fe, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. The fashion show featured collections from retailers Valentino, Fendi, Gucci, Chanel and more.
In other South Coast Plaza news, Replay, an upscale casual wear store for men and women, has opened its second U.S. store at the shopping center. The store carries the retailer’s “We Are Replay” collection, pricier clothes and its children’s’ line, Replay & Sons.
The Levi’s Fit experience tour is set to hit South Coast Plaza this week. What’s that?
Levi Strauss & Co. is trying to get more people in its jeans, which have fallen out of favor since the onset of designer jeans and premium jeans such as Joe’s Jeans and 7 For All Mankind, which go for $150 or more. Levi’s will be using an electronic body measuring system to fit customers in about 10 seconds.
Car Show Courts Hispanics
This year the California International Auto Show in Anaheim is targeting Hispanics.
About 20% of the show’s budget is being spent to court Hispanics, said Michael Caudill, spokesman for the event.
There are several Hispanic car clubs in the area, said Marcie Perez, who’s focusing her efforts on the Hispanic media. Some Hispanics may be unaware that there is a big auto show in Anaheim, she said.
The show takes place at the Anaheim Convention Center starting on Wednesday. The Orange County Automobile Dealers Association and the Southland Motor Car Dealers Association produce the show. About 120 of 143 dealers in OC are members of the OC Auto Dealers Association.
The show is the association’s main revenue stream.
The purpose of the show is to get consumers excited enough about new autos that they visit local dealerships. Last year 12 cars were launched at the show. The same number of launches is set for this show. This time around, the dealers face the added challenge of high gas prices and economic concerns sparked by the hurricanes.
