Over the course of the past year, a slew of new restaurants have opened at Savor Westchester, the fourth-floor eating area at The Westchester mall in White Plains. Those eateries have worked to transform the traditional food hall into what mall officials have called a “dining destination.”
In recent weeks, two new establishments have each added their own unique flavors to the mix.
The Little Beet was first to open on June 11, offering diners a chance to enjoy a variety of healthy or gluten-free options without a long wait and emphasizing local, seasonal ingredients.
Andy Duddleston, who founded The Little Beet in midtown Manhattan in 2014, said the vision behind his menu is simple: plant inspired, but not plant exclusive.
“There is something for everyone,” he said. “Even those who don”™t identify with ”˜eating healthy.”™”
The eatery has other locations in New York City, Long Island and Washington, D.C. Duddleston said opening in The Westchester mall made sense for his company, because “we”™ve been hearing from our commuting guests about how we need to open ”˜in the ”™burbs,”™ because there are so few restaurant options with this type of food.”
While expanding The Little Beet into “the ”™burbs” was always in the cards for the restaurant chain, Duddleston said he wanted to hold off until he found the perfect location.
“Westchester Mall was the right opportunity for a number of reasons,” he said, noting that Savor already had “great fast-casual, 2.0 co-tenants,” and that White Plains is the “perfect gateway to the greater Westchester and Fairfield County” areas.
Working with Simon Properties, operator of The Westchester, was also a draw.
“They have a visionary plan on the evolution of malls with the changing trends of retail, and being within their property and on the forefront of this evolution is exciting,” he said. “If you take a look at how they have curated (Savor), you”™ll know what I mean.”
The day after The Little Beet officially opened, sandwich maker Melt Shop began serving customers.
“Melt Shop is for everyone,” said founder and CEO Spencer Rubin. “No matter your age, we”™ve got something you”™ll enjoy.”
The restaurant offers an array of melted sandwiches on handmade bread, from a fried chicken sandwich with pepperjack cheese and red cabbage slaw to a vegan burger melt made with quinoa, beets, black beans and brown rice. There are also salads, tater tots and milkshakes.
“We”™ve always had our eye on the White Plains area and when this opportunity presented itself through our relationship with Simon Property Group, we jumped on it,” Rubin said.
Melt Shop has other eateries in Simon Property-owned malls, including those at Roosevelt Field in Garden City, Woodbury Common in Central Valley and King of Prussia in Pennsylvania.
At Savor, the new eateries join Juice Generation, Tomato & Co., Mighty Quinn”™s Barbeque, Whitman”™s and Bluestone Lane, all of which opened last year.
The new dining area is part of a multimillion-dollar renovation of the 890,000-square-foot mall begun by Simon Property Group last year.
