Say “food court,” and the once-common images of a bustling collection of businesses serving holiday shoppers navigating a mall’s seat-filled area still comes to mind.
For many malls, especially Brookfield Square, that’s no longer the case. The loss of stores and mall shoppers contributed to an exodus of food-court staples. Shri Foods Indian Cuisine has joined that exodus, but not as a journey into oblivion.
A mall staple for more than seven years, Shri Foods announced in late November its move to a still-bustling marketplace of businesses large and small: the Village of Pewaukee’s Capitol Drive commercial district anchored by Costco, Walmart and Menards.
The new Shri Foods will operate at 1405 Capitol Drive, owner Sita Anand confirmed to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The location is next to the Pick ‘n Save store near Costco and the Hindu Temple of Wisconsin.
“This is not an end – just a goodbye to this chapter,” the business said in a Facebook post announcing the Nov. 30 closing in the Brookfield mall. “With God’s grace, we are excited to share that we will soon be opening a brand-new location in Pewaukee.”
In a Dec. 5 phone interview, Anand said she hopes for a quick transition, with the new location tentatively targeted to open in mid-December, once contractors put the finishing touches on her new space and it passes village inspection.
Anand noted Shri Foods’s closing at Brookfield Square – which in the past decade has lost all but two of its three major anchors and dozens of smaller retailers between them – was “a bittersweet moment for us.” The eatery, the last in the semi-circle food court on the west side of the mall, appreciated the support of mall patrons it had received over the years, she said.
However, she said the loss of foot traffic at the mall, especially in the food court, was the largest factor in her decision not to extend her mall lease. “Just being alone, always, in the mall was getting a little depressing,” Anand acknowledged.
She’ll miss the convenience of mall-staffed property maintenance in the walkway and seating areas outside of her business space. Her customers are already missing her presence in the mall.
“I wanted to reopen as soon as possible because you don’t know how many people have been calling me,” Anand said. “I went back to the mall a few days ago, and [mall officials] were telling me people were coming and crying there” when they arrived to discover the sign gone and the space vacant.
The business serves “wholesome, delicious” food comprised of India-based classics, including dosa and dahi puri, but also includes versions of fried chicken and a vegetarian burger (with a potato patty), according to information and photos on its website.
Anand suggested that’s what attracts her customer base, including guests who travel a long distance. “Those people tend to come to us because our food is more like home-cooked food, not very greasy or heavy,” she said.
She added the business will post an update on Facebook and its website when it officially reopens.
Contact reporter Jim Riccioli at james.riccioli@jrn.com.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Shri Foods makes a move from Brookfield Square to busy Pewaukee sector
Reporting by Jim Riccioli, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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