Nordstrom will phase out its popular Marketplace Cafe that its now operating on the ground floor of its current store and roll out two new restaurants in its Ala Moana Center Ewa Wing location that’s slated to open in March.
“When we go through remodels or relocations of our stores, we love to just update and offer customers something new,” Nordstrom spokeswoman Brooke White told PBN on Friday. “It’s the same quality of food and it’ll probably have a very similar feel, so if we’re disappointing customers, I’m sure our restaurant team could listen to what they want on the menu and we can always adjust as necessary. But we work hard to just keep our stores updated and fresh while giving customers new options.”
What will take Marketplace Cafe’s place in the new 185,000-square-foot department store now under construction as a part of Ala Moana Center’s $573 million Ewa Wing project is an approximately 5,500-square-foot restaurant called Ruscello, which will feature Mediterranean and Italian-inspired cuisine.
The restaurant, located on the top floor of the three-level complex, is currently featured in only two other Nordstrom stores and offers appetizers, salads, sandwiches, brick-oven pizzas, pastas, entrées and housemade desserts.
When it opens with the department store on March 11, 2016, it will be the Seattle-based company’s fifth Ruscello location.
“We look at it on a market basis and think Ruscello would be a great way to update our offerings,” White said. “Certainly, our goal is to offer something new and fun.”
The new Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN) location will also feature a 930-square-foot casual lounge concept on the second floor called Habitant, which will have wine and cocktail selections along with prepared salads and sandwiches.
That concept, which is currently offered in three Nordstrom department stores, will be the company’s fifth location when it opens next year.
“Although it is only offered in three stores, it has been very popular, so we wanted to bring that to our new Ala Moana location as well,” White said.
Meanwhile, Nordstrom will move its Ebar concept, featuring specialty coffees and gelato from the Honolulu-based La Gelateria, into a 900-square-foot space into the first floor of the new location.
