Restaurants help reinvent Orange County mall as traditional stores struggle

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Managers of an Orange County mall are reinventing the space into something less focused on actual shopping, which is opening the door for restaurants to be the draw that big box department stores used to be until online shopping forced many business models to change. Jeff Tinderencel said he chose to open his third "Food and Fire" barbeque restaurant in the Galleria at Crystal Run in Wallkill because it is close to neighborhoods, near industry and close to I-84. He did not choose the mall for the foot traffic, although he is trying to draw some passersby with specials during the mall's first Restaurant Week. That strategy may have worked in 1992 when the Galleria opened, but not currently. "I think the mall can be viewed in two different ways," he said. "If you look at it as the only way to attract business, you're probably not going to do well. You need to understand that you need to be the draw as well as the mall." Tinderencel said authentic barbeque and professional service will help Food and Fire become a go-to in Orange County, like it has at other locations in Scranton and Binghamton. He puts a lot of value on the marketing opportunities, too. Food and Fire is located at the front of the mall, and its sign is visible from the highway. "Put a billboard like that in the middle of any town and it's going to cost you a lost of money," he said, "but we feel like the mall is almost like our big billboard." Other restaurant owners also told News 12 that trying to capialize on random shoppers leaving other stores does not work anymore. At Fuji Japanese Steakhouse, the staff continues to build the restaurant's following on social media. "They enter Fuji to get to the mall," Fuji manager Sabrina Bliese said. "They stop here first and then they're like 'Oh, while I'm here, I guess I'll stop in whatever store I need to go to." Mall management is also banking on restaurants, amusements and other experiences that cannot be bought online to help keep the mall successful. "Retail will always be the heart of Crystal Run," a statement attributed to mall management read, "but we have been transforming over the years to create a place where the community can spend a whole day shopping, dining and visiting our entertainment centers." "