Restaurateur to Close Fashion Island’s Five Feet Too

Orange County restaurateur Michael Kang is closing his popular Five Feet Too restaurant at Fashion Island, the shopping center said Wednesday.

The closing was “mutually agreed to” by Kang and the Irvine Co., which owns Fashion Island, a shopping center spokeswoman said.

Kang, who also operates the Five Feet restaurant in Laguna Beach, plans to open another eatery in Newport Center--an office, hotel and commercial complex near Fashion Island.

“After four years of steady business in our present location, it feels like the right time to move in a new direction, to begin a new era for Five Feet Too,” Kang said in a prepared statement.

Kang said the new location will allow him to “expand our present dining situation to a more unique restaurant concept that will give our customers a new experience and keep pace with our growing catering business.”

The Cheesecake Factory and California Pizza Kitchen, which flank the existing Five Feet Too storefront, have expressed interest in taking over Kang’s space. Kang said he has not decided when the Fashion Island restaurant will close or when a new location will open.