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Eatery Set For Wiregrass Mall

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By KEVIN WIATROWSKI

kwiatrowski@tampatrib.com

Published: November 21, 2008

WESLEY CHAPEL - A new restaurant is on the horizon for The Shops at Wiregrass.

Open less than a month, Wesley Chapel's new open-air mall at State Road 56 and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard is still filling in some of the gaps among its storefronts.

It appears one of those storefronts will be filled in the near future by Teriyaki Experience, a Japanese-themed eatery based in Oakville, Canada.

Teriyaki Experience will be the second Asian-themed eatery at Wiregrass. A Yamato Japanese Steakhouse is now under construction in the mall.

The 22-year-old company opened its first Florida restaurant this month at Prime Outlets in St. Augustine. Wesley Chapel is among four locations listed on the company's Web site as opening soon. The other three are in Orlando and Winter Park.

Developer Fiorenzo Breslin said he sees the Interstate 4 corridor between Orlando and Tampa as the core of a future statewide expansion for Teriyaki Experience. The company has plans for another restaurant at Prime Outlets in Ellenton, Breslin said.

"Florida, just like the rest of the United States, has a desire, a need, for a healthy alternative, and that's what Teriyaki Experience offers," Breslin said.

Teriyaki Experience's cooks prepare food for patrons as they wait. The only thing made in advance is rice, Breslin said.
Company officials have asked Pasco County for a sign permit, the first step toward developing their newest location.

Breslin hopes to have his Wesley Chapel restaurant up and running in mid-January.

Teriyaki Experience is slated to move into a slot on Paseo Drive, the mall's central street, near JCPenney and Barnes & Noble Booksellers.

Reporter Kevin Wiatrowski can be reached at (813) 948-4201.

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