Restaurants sprouting near malls

Source: Muskegon Chronicle
When ground was broken on the 10th McDonald's restaurant in Muskegon County this week, it became the sixth restaurant under construction in the vicinity of The Lakes Mall.

Owner-operators Art and Jannie Scott's new McDonald's is the first development at Sternberg Center, a Meijer Inc.-led development on the northeast corner of Sternberg Road and Harvey Street in Fruitport Township.

The McDonald's and Sternberg Center are directly across Sternberg from The Lakes Mall Sears entrance. Developed by Colburn & Hundley from Grand Rapids, the Sternberg Center also will have a Meyer Music store and an import car center.

Meyer Music and the auto center are expected to start construction soon, but Meijer has yet to announce a construction date for a new 190,000-square-foot store. Fruitport Township officials said there is interest from a developer representing an unnamed sit-down restaurant to complete the Sternberg Center development.

Besides McDonald's, also under construction are Red Lobster and Olive Garden, both owned by Darden restaurant group and located on the parcels surrounding The Lakes Mall. Across Harvey, adjacent to Best Buy, a Perkin's Restaurant is under construction and a Subway Sandwich Shop is going into a strip mall north on Harvey in front of the Lakeshore Marketplace.

Inside The Lakes Mall, the developer has announced that Champion USA _ a large sports bar _ will be a full-service restaurant along with a five-outlet food court. CBL Properties & Associates has announced Sbarro Italian Eatery, Manhu Wok, Chicago Grinders and Little Easy Cajun as coming to the food court; another will be announced soon.

Finally, Muskegon's own G&L; Chili Dogs is building on Sternberg Road just west of the U.S. 31 interchange. Already open in the area are Brann's Steakhouse, Hooters and Bob Evans. Attending the McDonald's groundbreaking, Fruitport Township Supervisor Connie Smith remembered when her grandparents owned a blueberry field on what is now the south end of the new regional mall property.

"We have seen some major changes out here, and they are all welcomed," Smith said. "I am hearing people say they can't wait for the mall to open. Everything has been positive." Most of the restaurants now under construction will be open around the Aug. 15 grand opening of The Lakes Mall _ a three-anchor enclosed regional shopping center. McDonald's, however, will be in business on Sternberg in the third week of July, Art Scott said.

JAAR Inc., the Scotts' company, already has seven McDonald's and will be adding two more existing restaurants to its group. The Scotts own and operate the McDonald's in downtown Muskegon, West Sherman Boulevard, East Apple Avenue, Apple at Mill Iron, in Fruitport, Grand Haven and Spring Lake.

Scott said by the end of the month JAAR also will own and operate the McDonald's on East Sherman in front of Wal-Mart and on Old Grand Haven Road in Norton Shores. They are purchasing those two restaurants from McDonald's Corp., which had purchased them from former owner Mark Dahlke, Scott said. The new McDonald's on Sternberg will employ up to 70 staffers and have a nine-member management team. With its new restaurants, JAAR will employ 600 throughout its 10 stores, Scott said.
Source: Muskegon Chronicle