Two summers back, Willowbrook Shopping Centre’s landlords with QuadReal unveiled plans to add a new, 27,500-square-foot food section to the north entrance of the mall, called The Courtyard.
Well that new outdoor entertainment area with 10 new eateries and food options is starting to come to fruition – fast and furious.
It began last month with the relocation and opening of Red Robin, and in the weeks to come a number of other new tenants in this area of the mall are expected to open their doors.
“They will be in good company alongside AO Ramen, Chachi’s, Good Taco, OEB Breakfast Co., and Trattoria Italian Kitchen – to name a few,” Larissa Jacobson-Rooke, QuadReal Property Group’s vice president of retail leasing recently told the Langley Advance Times.
RELATED: Langley Red Robin re-opens at Willowbrook Shopping Centre
In the meantime, there have been a number of other new shops announced for Langley’s premier indoor and outdoor shopping centre, which originally opened in 1979 and has grown into a 612,000-square-foot shopping venue with about 130 tenants.
Breakfast and brunch joint opening up
The most recent opens is happening this weekend with OEB Breakfast hosting a special VIP event, given invited guests a sneak peak at the new restaurant before it officially opens its doors to the public on Monday.
“We serve breakfast and brunch like no one else,” said Teale Orban, OEB’s director of marketing.
“OEB is a place for connection, whether it be with the food, ones-self or with those you share a meal with. We believe that food is not just about sustenance but also about the experience, and we wanted to create an initiative that embodied that sentiment.”
OEB Breakfast celebrates its 14th anniversary in October 2023.
Its original store opened in Calgary in 2009. It was founded on Chef Mauro Martina’s life-long love for food and his belief that breakfast should be bolstered by artistry and passion.
Now with 18 locations in North America (seven in Alberta, six in B.C., one in Toronto, one in Winnipeg, one in Saskatchewan, one in Arizona, and one in California), OEB endeavours to expand further across the continent in its pursuit of transforming the North American breakfast scene.
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Coffee lover alert
It’s been in place for more than a month now, and many die-hard coffee lovers have already discovered it.
Nespresso has opened a 180-square-foot, pop-up located in the north corridor of the mall.
It sells single-serve coffee and espresso capsules alongside a capsule recycling point.
Further enhancing the experience, coffee specialists provide tastings and guidance on a full range of Nespresso products.
“We can’t wait to get our caffeine fix! The Nespresso brand aligns perfectly with our leasing strategy and further reflects the unique guest experience we aim to bring to Willowbrook guests,” says Stefanie Fincham, leasing director at QuadReal, said ahead of their official opening.
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Speaking of food venues…
A pop-up holiday location for Lee’s Donuts proved so popular, that the iconic doughnut shop – known by regulars at Granville Island Public Market – is becoming a permanent fixture at Willowbrook.
Lee’s has been serving delicious, handmade, quality, classic doughnuts from scratch since 1979 – the same year Willowbrook opened. It started with its home base on Johnston Street, and more recently expanded to include a warehouse (referred to as Lee’s Donuts Commissary) on Laurel Street – also in Vancouver – and now (at least for a few more weeks) it is operating a venue out of a kiosk (of sorts) close to Hudson’s Bay inside Willowbrook.
While waiting for a storefront shop, complete with its own kitchen, to be renovated and opened near Starbuck’s, the new Lee’s is operating from a modified shipping container set up in what the mall calls Willow Way.
The new digs should be ready in April.
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Much more to come, soon
A few more tenant to The Courtyard are expect to open soon. Stay tuned for updates.
They include the Captain’s Oven Pizza under creation.
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Is there more to the story? Email: news@langleyadvancetimes.com
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