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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Kim Mathews, WestShore Plaza, 813/286-0792
EAST MEETS WEST AT WESTSHORE PLAZA TENANTS MOVE INTO THE NEW EXPANDED FOOD COURT
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TAMPA, FL (May 25, 2000) - WestShore Plaza proudly announces their three newest tenants: Max Orient, Little Tokyo and Twin Cactus. The new Food Court eateries are expected to open in early June as part of WestShore Plaza’s 70,000 square foot expansion.
In its entirety, the full expansion project includes a 14 screen AMC Theatre, 25 new specialty shops, two full service restaurants and an expanded Food Court, doubling capacity to better serve the lunch time rush and future theatre patrons. The Grand Opening of the new wing is set for November 2000.
All three restaurant concepts focus around adding fresh, healthy and quality alternatives to the Food Court dining experience. Each restaurant will feature foods that are prepared "fresh from scatch" upon ordering.
The restaurants are developed by the Tampa based food service group Hospitality International Group (HIG). Although these food service companies operate three unique concepts successfully, the management teams behind these companies are closely associated by combining their expertise, talents and resources to deliver the highest quality in operations, design, service and product excellence to the consumers.
The unveiling of the three new vendors serve as a sneak peek for patrons, showing the variety the new Food Court will offer. Providing unique Asian food, Max Orient will feature traditional wok cooking. Delivering high quality, authentic Asian products at an excellent value, Max Orient is one of the most desirable quick-service Chinese restaurants in the industry.
Traditional Japanese recipes, developed by master chefs, have been incorporated into Japanese Grill cooking to make up the menu at Little Tokyo. The eatery will also feature a specially trained sushi chef. Both Little Tokyo and Max Orient feature items found on the menu of their parent restaurant Rice & Company - An Asian Bistro.
Moving from eastern cuisine to the west, Twin Cactus makes its Florida debut at WestShore Plaza with a menu of authentic freshmex/southwestern cuisine; delivering items such as homemade salsa, fresh chips, giant burritos with flame broiled chicken, tortilla soup and a southwestern salad.
"We offer today’s sophisticated consumers a healthy alternative to what has typically been Food Court fair." said David Wu, president of HIG.
"These fresh food concepts complement our expanding Food Court." said Kim Mathews, Marketing Director for WestShore Plaza. "Customers see the detail paid in preparing their meal, because the grilles and frying tables right at the counter. This sort of display cooking was exactly what we had envisioned for our new Food Court."
In keeping with the overall Mediterranean feel of the Plaza’s architectural elements, the Food Court Expansion has been designed to suggest a town square of an Italian village. The idea is to give patrons not only the best dining, but also the best dining experience, by creating the atmosphere of a town square overflowing with the abundant colors, smells and tastes of market day.
Situated directly below the new 14 screen AMC Theatre and in line with 25 new specialty shops, the new Food Court design caters not only to the typical Food Court crowd but also the theatre patron. Architectural plans place two large archways at either end of the Food Court to connect the "town square" to the rest of the mall by creating an overall circular layout. This "Loop" pattern is a one-of-a-kind in the Tampa Bay area. This eliminates the hassle of long walks from one end of the mall to the other, and makes every parking space equally convenient.
Each Food Court storefront will feature a façade of a two or three story building with a ground floor opening containing the eatery. To complement the 10 buildings lining the "town square," two long walls will feature colorful mosaic murals. One wall will be framed by an arcade (a series of arches) to create an alcove for those who desire more intimate seating. Accents like flagstone paving, umbrellas, a gazebo, and a large trellis open to the "sky" above add character and charm to the look.
"With the new movie theatre and WestShore Plaza’s central location in the Westshore Business District, and proximity to Downtown Tampa, we had an obligation to our lunch-time patrons to offer them the best dining experience possible. We are certain this expansion will give them just that." Mathews said.
WestShore Plaza features Burdines, Dillard’s, JCPenney and Saks Fifth Avenue, plus nearly 100 specialty stores. Current remodeling, opening in Fall 2000, will include a new and expanded Food Court, 25 new stores, two restaurants unique to Tampa Bay and a 14-screen state-of-the-art AMC Theatre. Located at the intersection of West Shore and Kennedy boulevards in Tampa, WestShore Plaza is easily accessible from Interstate 275, Veteran’s Expressway, Courtney Campbell Causeway, Howard Frankland and Gandy Bridges. For more information, please call (813) 286-0790 .
WestShore Plaza is owned by American Freeholds and managed by General Growth Properties Inc., the nation’s second largest owner, manager and developer of regional shopping malls. For more information on other General Growth centers, visit www.mallibu.com. For more information on General Growth Properties, visit the company website at www.generalgrowth.com.
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