Theater expected to fill new restaurants

The opening of the Galaxy Luxury+ movie theater at The Outlets at Sparks shopping complex provides the perfect foil for two new restaurant concepts located nearby, says Mike Auger, managing partner of Trifecta Management Group of Agoura Hills, Calif.

CBQ — Cowboy Bar & Cue and O’Cleary’s Irish Pub open Thursday evening in the combined 20,000-square-feet of space formerly occupied by Cadillac Ranch and Rack N Pinz. Auger says many of Trifecta’s 16 restaurant concepts across the country are similarly located near movie theaters or entertainment venues that have a critical mass of patrons within easy walking distance.

“The theater there is awesome; it is very tastefully done, and for us, having a premier theater space as a neighbor was very attractive,” Auger says. “Going to movie and getting bite to eat, that is one of the most common things people do on a Friday night.”

Trifecta specializes in creating custom restaurant concepts, Auger says. His team looked hard at nearby eateries and found that a barbecue concept and Irish pub concept were underrepresented in that part of Sparks.

Cowboy Bar & Cue, which takes the Cadillac Ranch space, should appeal to a wide demographic, Auger adds. Cooks will be using a slow cooker to cook meats ’round the clock. O’Clearys, he adds, should prove to be a popular gathering place for moviegoers before and after shows to knock back a pint and enjoy Irish specialty dishes (hold the Haggis, please).

“What we look to do is complement the marketplace in an area. It has Italian casual dining, and the sports bar genre, so we felt barbecue would do very well there,” Auger says. “The Irish pub concept is another category that is not represented there at Legends. We felt having a social gathering place and complimentary concept was a good addition to the area.”