Like a lot of aging malls around the country, the Clearview mall on Veterans Memorial Boulevard in Metairie is in the process of transforming into a mixed-use urban-style development, and a flagship Zea Rotisserie & Bar is set to become the development’s anchor tenant. The current Zea location at the mall is slated to operate throughout 2025 while a new standalone location is built, according to Paul Hutson, CEO of the Taste Buds Management group behind Zea.
“Development at the mall opened up the door for us to really plan a new restaurant on a pad out in front of the mall,” he recently told What Now New Orleans.
Hutson said the new location will feature the latest Zea restaurant design, with the rotisserie being brought out into the dining room as the star of the menu. There will also be a larger bar and bar area. The standalone building will also make it easier for takeout and delivery drivers to grab orders and be on their way.
Hutson said the current location in Metairie has been one of the chain’s best performers for years. He added that his team is patiently going through preparations as the mall transitions. Currently, many of the old mall spaces are empty ahead of construction operations.
“The foot traffic has been way down,” he said. “We’re still doing good volume there, but not nearly like its heyday, and not nearly what we expect when the mall gets redeveloped.”
“Everyone benefits from getting this moving as quickly as we can,” he added. “It gets us into a new freestanding flagship property, which we’re very anxious to do, and then it allows them to really begin their redevelopment process with us out of the way. So you know, there’s obviously a lot of moving parts in a process like this.”
