Restaurant

Bloomington, Minn. — Bruegger’s Bagels will open this week in Mall of America as part of the first phase of the mall’s $2 billion expansion.

The Mall of America opening is another step in Bruegger’s effort to expand into non-traditional venues such as airports, colleges and hospitals. The 1,699-sq.-ft. bakery-café will seat 18 and offer additional seating in the food court.

Moorestown, N.J. — Charlotte Russe will join Moorestown Mall’s lineup this fall with a 5,000-sq.-ft. store located in the center of the mall. Over the next several months, Marc Vetri’s Osteria, Firebirds Wood Fired Grill, Corner Bakery and the Regal Premium Experience (RPX) Theater will open stores in the mall as well. Distrito by Jose Garces is set to join the mall in 2014.

Chicago -- Englewood Construction’s restaurant group has completed Williston Brewing Co., an upscale restaurant and lounge in booming Williston, N.D.
 
“Williston Brewing Co. provides a much-needed dining and entertainment option for oil field workers and their families,” said William Di Santo, president of Lemont, Ill.-based Englewood Construction. “We’ve been fortunate to take part in the area’s commercial construction boom sparked by North Dakota’s oil rush.”

Springfield, Mass. — Charter Realty has announced four leases totaling 59,030 sq. ft. in the Springfield Plaza Center in Springfield, Mass.

Planet Fitness will move into a 20,000-sq.-ft. facility currently under construction. Aaron’s Rentals has renewed its lease for 8,030 sq. ft. Rocky’s Ace Hardware has also renewed on 25,500 sq. ft. Finally, the 99 Restaurant has renewed a 5,500-sq.-ft. space.

K-Mart, Super Stop and Shop and TJMAXX anchor the 550,000-sq.-ft. Springfield Plaza Center.

Ridgefield, Conn. —Schimenti Construction Company is building a $1.5 million Panera Bread cafe on Fifth Avenue in midtown Manhattan. The company began the project in September and will complete construction in January 2014.

Panera adds to Schimenti’s roster of fast-casual restaurant clients, which includes Starbucks and Chipotle. A project for another new client, Chik-Fil-A, is slated to begin in 2014.

In its PizzaRev case study series, CSA offers an insider’s look at the conception, initial rollout and growth of the southern Calif.-based fast-casual concept PizzaRev. Likened to “the Chipotle of pizza,” this innovative chain lets customers choose from an artisanal array of toppings to craft their own pizzas very quickly in a high-end stone hearth oven. A test kitchen in Northridge, Calif., was launched in April 2012 and two additional locations quickly followed.

Atif Rafiq was named to the newly created position of chief digital officer at McDonald’s after previously serving as general manager of Kindle Direct Publishing at Amazon.

In his new role, Rafiq will lead McDonald's global digital strategy focusing on future growth in e-commerce, modernizing the restaurant experience and engaging with consumers across the digital landscape. Rafiq will report to chief brand officer Steve Easterbrook.