First, Marie Callender's, now IHOP. Where are white folks supposed to eat now?
Two more Irvine Co. closure casualties: Toys 'R' Us in Tustin, IHOP in Irvine
Jan. 5, 2016 Updated 3:22
Two more veteran chains, IHOP and Toys ?R? Us, are exiting Irvine Co. properties.
At the Market Place in Tustin, Toys ?R? Us has announced plans to close at the end of the month, a move based on store performance, the chain said.
?As with all retailers, we regularly look at the performance of our physical locations to ensure they are meeting the needs of our business, and this decision was made as part of that process,? company spokeswoman Alyssa Peera told the Register.
The toy chain recently closed its flagship store in Times Square in New York. Peera said the chain has no plans ?at this time? to close a large number of other stores.
The Tustin store?s last day of operation is Jan. 24. The store is having a liquidation sale. "Items purchased during the liquidation sale cannot be returned," Peera said.
The company also operates a Babies ?R? Us store at the Market Place in Irvine on Jamboree Road.
In a smaller Irvine shopping center on University Drive, an IHOP closed Dec. 26. The lease was up at the pancake house, which has been operating at the Parkview Center since 1992.
It?s unclear if IHOP chose to leave, or if it was denied a lease renewal.
?The way things worked out, things are not continuing on that location,? said Craig M. Hoffman, a spokesman for parent company DineEquity of Glendale.
He declined to comment any further on the Irvine closure. But the shutdown, he said, doesn?t reflect IHOP?s thoughts on the Orange County market.
?We love being part of Orange County,? Hoffman said, adding that two of the chain?s highest grossing restaurants are in Anaheim near Disneyland.
The closure announcements of Toys R Us and IHOP come less a week after a Marie Callender?s in Irvine said it was forced to close. A company official said the Irvine Co. refused to renew its lease.
Replacement tenants have not been announced.
An official with the Newport Beach developer said the company is always exploring ways to evolve the retail center?s ?vibrancy and relevancy? so that it matches its customers? evolving tastes.
?We appreciate the relationship we have with our long-term tenants, and must balance that with ensuring that we deliver the best possible experience for our customers, who rely on and expect our centers to offer retail concepts that are consistently fresh and relevant,:? Easther Liu, chief marketing officer for Irvine Company Retail Properties.
That doesn?t bode well for long-time Irvine resident Adela Flores.
The mother of two said Irvine is losing ?comfortable family style? restaurants ? places they could take children after a soccer or basketball game.
?We were hoping that a Sizzler or Hometown Buffet might show up in one of the malls,? she said. ?But instead we?re getting more off-beat, fusion-style high-end places that hardly any senior citizens or traditional families can afford.?
Contact the writer: nluna@ocregister.com
Two more Irvine Co. closure casualties: Toys 'R' Us in Tustin, IHOP in Irvine
Jan. 5, 2016 Updated 3:22
Two more veteran chains, IHOP and Toys ?R? Us, are exiting Irvine Co. properties.
At the Market Place in Tustin, Toys ?R? Us has announced plans to close at the end of the month, a move based on store performance, the chain said.
?As with all retailers, we regularly look at the performance of our physical locations to ensure they are meeting the needs of our business, and this decision was made as part of that process,? company spokeswoman Alyssa Peera told the Register.
The toy chain recently closed its flagship store in Times Square in New York. Peera said the chain has no plans ?at this time? to close a large number of other stores.
The Tustin store?s last day of operation is Jan. 24. The store is having a liquidation sale. "Items purchased during the liquidation sale cannot be returned," Peera said.
The company also operates a Babies ?R? Us store at the Market Place in Irvine on Jamboree Road.
In a smaller Irvine shopping center on University Drive, an IHOP closed Dec. 26. The lease was up at the pancake house, which has been operating at the Parkview Center since 1992.
It?s unclear if IHOP chose to leave, or if it was denied a lease renewal.
?The way things worked out, things are not continuing on that location,? said Craig M. Hoffman, a spokesman for parent company DineEquity of Glendale.
He declined to comment any further on the Irvine closure. But the shutdown, he said, doesn?t reflect IHOP?s thoughts on the Orange County market.
?We love being part of Orange County,? Hoffman said, adding that two of the chain?s highest grossing restaurants are in Anaheim near Disneyland.
The closure announcements of Toys R Us and IHOP come less a week after a Marie Callender?s in Irvine said it was forced to close. A company official said the Irvine Co. refused to renew its lease.
Replacement tenants have not been announced.
An official with the Newport Beach developer said the company is always exploring ways to evolve the retail center?s ?vibrancy and relevancy? so that it matches its customers? evolving tastes.
?We appreciate the relationship we have with our long-term tenants, and must balance that with ensuring that we deliver the best possible experience for our customers, who rely on and expect our centers to offer retail concepts that are consistently fresh and relevant,:? Easther Liu, chief marketing officer for Irvine Company Retail Properties.
That doesn?t bode well for long-time Irvine resident Adela Flores.
The mother of two said Irvine is losing ?comfortable family style? restaurants ? places they could take children after a soccer or basketball game.
?We were hoping that a Sizzler or Hometown Buffet might show up in one of the malls,? she said. ?But instead we?re getting more off-beat, fusion-style high-end places that hardly any senior citizens or traditional families can afford.?
Contact the writer: nluna@ocregister.com
