Less than two years after opening, Bristol Farms Newfound Market at the Irvine Spectrum, which the company had hoped to become a grocery store, food hall and dining destination popular with foodies, will permanently close its doors. The supermarket’s last day of operation will be Wednesday Jan. 31.
“Irvine Spectrum Center is a beautiful destination but the visitors to the center, for the most part, were not shopping for groceries,” said Joyce de Brevannes, vice president of marketing at Bristol Farms, in a written statement.
In addition to acting as a gourmet grocery store, the approximately 24,000-square foot complex had a handful of fast-casual eateries, like Swell Seafood and Horton’s, as well as Viaggio Pizzeria, a full-service dining venue.
Bristol Farms Newfound Market also acted as a food incubator for its other locations wherein the company would bring in food concepts and, if successful, would move them to other Bristol Farms stores. “For the last two years, our culinary team has created innovative dishes within the food service areas of Newfound Market. Many are now carried in Bristol Farms locations,” wrote Dan Evon, vice president of culinary at Bristol Farms
SEE ALSO: Get a first look at Bristol Farms Newfound Market at the Irvine Spectrum
The expansive indoor-outdoor arena had also hoped to entice the gastronomic set by offering modish items like Huntington Beach-based Truff hot sauce or such luxury brands as John Kelly chocolates (a 12-piece box of chocolates runs $55), as well as the food hall concept. Bristol Farms even used two notable celebrity chefs as muses for Newfound Market’s interior design.
“You’ll see a little bit of Alice Waters and a little bit of Anthony Bourdain,” Dan Evon, vice president of culinary and general manager of Bristol Farms Newfound Market, explained to the Orange County Register shortly before its 2022 opening. “So you’ve got the Northern California farm-to-table atmosphere, all the whitewashed woods, the country farm type look, which is what Bristol Farms has been in the past. Then we brought in a little bit of Bourdain, a little global, a little more gritty, more street food-type atmosphere.”
As to what business will take over the venue after Bristol Farms vacates, Blake Windal, general manager of Irvine Spectrum Center, said, “We are currently in discussions with several best-in-class merchants looking to establish a presence at Irvine Spectrum Center. … We expect to share some exciting news with the community in the near future.”
The two other Orange County Bristol Farms locations in Corona del Mar and Yorba Linda will remain open.
