Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
Issue link: https://sct.epubxp.com/i/122387
r e T a i l i n g T o d a y "People love to walk by or watch the action from the second level and to take pictures with their phones. It brings so much excitement to the common area." Davis. Even so, the idea of conveyorbelt sushi intrigued the mall's leasing and management team just enough. "We know our customers at Tysons, and we knew that something with this level of innovation and sophistication would be received very well," said Bridget Gilbertsen, senior manager of leasing at Macerich. Wasabi finally landed the coveted location, and Davis discovered the new strategy, design and image that would drive his national expansion. The design permits Wasabi to operate in the middle of a common area without obstructing any sight lines: There is a canopy over the food-prep area, but nothing in the restaurant rises above waist level. A clear railing surrounds the restaurant. (The only part of the eatery that is enclosed is a cleanup area and dish room that Wasabi tucks away behind a stairway or escalator at most malls.) "If you are walking through the mall, you get great views of Wasabi, but we also don't block views of the other tenants in the mall," said Davis. On a typical Saturday, the 75-seat restaurant serves about 1,000 people. Wasabi also creates a lot of buzz within the center. People love to walk by or watch the action from the second level the wasabi at natick (mass.) collection draws a crowd. 144 SCT / M a y 2 0 1 3 and to take pictures with their phones, says Cory Scott, assistant vice president of property management for Tysons. "It brings so much excitement to the area," he said. The Tysons success prompted the company to close its three Washingtonarea restaurants in favor of a new focus on replicating the Tysons model at additional malls. "We spent 2010 rethinking what we were doing, because Tysons was such an amazing success," said Davis. "We found that getting the malls to understand what we were doing took some time," said Davis. But now Wasabi has leases with some of the largest malls in the country, and more are in the pipeline, he says. "We are finding that owners are expressing sincere excitement about energizing their common areas." SCT For leasing, contact Jeff Mason, principal of Mason Retail Group, at (410) 558-3100, or jeff@masonaid.com.