- Au Bon Pain in Woodbury Common Premium Outlets.
When Big Brother comes in and tries to take your kitchen, the best thing you can do is keep on cooking.
That”™s apparently how Paul Saran sees it.
Saran owns the Au Bon Pain franchise in Woodbury Common Premium Outlets, one that looks likes like any other mall food court restaurant.
It’s got all the usual Au Bon Pain features ”“ hot coffee, turkey clubs and chicken Caesar asiago salads. The only difference ”“ a slowly encroaching wall on either side of the eatery. And it’s the only tenant in an otherwise abandoned food court littered with stepstools, chairs and gated former storefronts.
Simon Property Group, Inc., the Indianapolis-based retail developer that operates Woodbury Common, is the one who built those walls. The corporation is sending Saran a message: assimilate like the rest of your former cohorts or risk being walled in.
All the other former food court tenants have since relocated to Market Hall, the shopping center’s 51,000-square-foot new food court that opened in September. Saran, who has owned his spot for a decade, has refused to follow suit. Though he’d clearly see more foot traffic, his current rent would also see a dramatic increase.
He’s operated like this for several months now, but said that a Dec. 11 meeting with top Simon officials led to a “possible resolution.” Saran declined to comment further at press time, citing ongoing litigation, but said he hopes to eventually be able to speak about the case once all is settled.
In April, he filed a lawsuit against Chelsea GCA Realty Partnership LP, the Simon subsidiary that manages and leases Woodbury Common, in state Supreme Court in Orange County. Piermont attorney Burton Dorfman, listed in court documents as Saran”™s lawyer, could not be reached for comment.
Mall officials did not specify what will become of the old food court.
“Our general policy is not to comment on matters that are in active litigation,” Les Morris, a spokesman for Simon Property Group, said in a statement. “Nonetheless, we have acted in accordance with our agreements as we continue to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in Woodbury Common to enhance food and retailer offerings, customer amenities and parking facilities.”
On a recent chilly Wednesday morning, the former thriving food court resembled more of a barren wasteland. With no heat, the nearly vacant building felt nearly as cold, if not colder, than it did outside.
There was no joyous music playing over the speakers as there was 1,000 feet away at the toasty Market Hall, which was packed with hungry holiday shoppers eating at one of its 11 restaurants that include Chipotle Mexican Grill, Kung Pao Wok, Pret A Manger, Pinkberry and McDonald’s.
The only sounds were the click-clack of shoppers’ heels using the former food court as a shortcut to other stores. But Saran’s franchise did see a relatively steady flow of customers ”“ about 20 in a half hour span. Its 44 tables sat empty, minus two women sipping coffee and a construction worker who used the space to eat his pre-packed lunch. Signs in front of Saran’s Au Bon Pain flaunted the complimentary Wi-Fi at Market Hall and pleaded diners to go there instead.
Stephen Yalof, CEO of Premium Outlets and senior executive vice president of Simon said in September that Market Hall, part of a multimillion-dollar property renovation, increased capacity by more than 60 percent to 900 patrons and brings with it added amenities like cell phone charging stations and improved family restrooms.
“We responded to our shoppers”™ demands for a more diverse and higher quality dining experience with healthier options,” Yalof said. “The new Market Hall was constructed to provide the 13 million people who visit Woodbury Common Premium Outlets each year with more food choices and other modern amenities, ultimately adding comfort and convenience to their shopping experience.”
For now, Saran and franchise general manager Jimmy Sotelo will continue to operate out of the old food court, braving the unsightly wall and lack of heat during the holiday season.
