New tenants to move into Burbank Town Center this year
With a $40-million renovation project at the Burbank Town Center completed last year, mall officials say they are now looking forward to new tenants moving in over the coming year.
Michael de Leon, general manager of the center, said a new full-service restaurant will be moving onto the currently vacant outdoor dining terrace, a furniture store will be taking over the space where Jersey Mike’s and Warehouse Discount Center once were and an entertainment group will fill the void left by the defunct Sport Chalet.
Panini Kabob Grill is slated to be the first restaurant to occupy one of four spaces available on the outdoor dining terrace, which is located on the Magnolia Boulevard side of the mall.
De Leon said restaurant officials are finalizing their plans for the eatery with the city and should have their building permits in-hand in the coming weeks.
He added that it should take about 90 days for the contractor to finish construction of the restaurant if officials from Panini Kabob Grill receive their permits this month.
“We have three to four tenants in the pipeline that are in negotiations for leasing [a location on the dining terrace], and Panini Kabob Grill opening up their store will just solidify those other deals,” de Leon said.
Though the mall renovations included a new food court on the lower floor, de Leon said he is not worried about Panini Kabob Grill taking away customers from those tenants.
“There are two different customers that are looking for food at the mall,” he said. “There are those who are looking for quick service, which is the food-court customer, and then there are those who want full-service, which will be the restaurants in the dining terrace.”
Burbank Town Center is more than just the mall itself and also includes properties along San Fernando Boulevard between Burbank Boulevard and Cypress Avenue.
Owners of the Burbank Town Center are currently in the middle of getting their permits to construct a mixed-use project where the former IKEA is located.
However, de Leon said a new tenant will be moving in further down the street.
Replacing Jersey Mike’s and Warehouse Discount Center at the corner of Burbank and San Fernando boulevards will be Bob’s Discount Furniture, a Connecticut-based furniture store that has locations in Bell Gardens and the Mid-City neighborhood of Los Angeles.
“Bob’s Discount Furniture is similar to Ashley Furniture or Jerome’s Furniture that is entering the Southern California market,” de Leon said.
The new furniture store is expected to open by Memorial Day, he added.
The new tenant that de Leon said he is most excited about is Round One, a Japanese-based entertainment chain similar to Dave & Busters and includes arcade games, bowling, karaoke and billiards.
Round One will be taking over the 45,000-square-foot space left by Sport Chalet. De Leon said officials with the business are currently applying for a conditional-use permit with the city to allow for that type of business in that location.
Should the permitting process run smoothly for Round One, de Leon said he expects the business will open in the fall.
“It’s everything you want in an entertainment center connected to the mall,” he said.
anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com
Twitter: @acocarpio
