- URW is bringing Chain to Topanga Social for a six-month residency beginning September 2, 2026.
- The food hall has lost most of its original 25-plus vendors since opening at Westfield Topanga in 2023.
- The test reflects a broader push to use rotating dining and entertainment concepts to generate repeat mall visits.
CoStar reports that Westfield Topanga is trying a new food hall strategy after Topanga Social lost most of its original vendors. Owner Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield is bringing in Chain for a six-month residency starting September 2, 2026. The experiment will rotate chefs, branded concepts and nostalgia-focused pop-ups.
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Food Hall Strategy Gets a Reset
Topanga Social opened in 2023 inside a former Sears anchor at the Canoga Park mall. The venue started with more than 25 locally based chains, but most have since closed. Customers cited slow service and food quality issues. Vendors pointed to uneven foot traffic and tight operating margins. URW, which owns about 15 US malls, is now testing whether a changing lineup can give shoppers more reasons to return.
The Details
Chain will make its shopping-center debut at Westfield Topanga on September 2, 2026. The residency includes dishes from chefs Roy Choi, Mei Lin, Calvin Eng and Mason Hereford. Food brands will rotate through temporary activations. The first stall, Cheez-It Court, will serve three nostalgia-driven menu items. The broader space will use arcade games, a vintage photo booth and branded decor from earlier Chain events.
Food Halls Face a Retention Test
The challenge extends beyond Topanga Social. A January 2026 Colicchio Consulting report counted about 450 multitenant food halls in the US, up from roughly 220 in 2019. The project pipeline grew about 25% between 2023 and 2025. The firm said 96 food halls were on track to open in 2026. That total includes 26 urban projects and 70 in suburban or peripheral markets.
Experience Becomes the Differentiator
Cushman & Wakefield retail leasing executive Jamie Brooks said repeat visits require a steady flow of new concepts and experiences. That strategy aligns with restaurants driving thousands of new retail openings as landlords increasingly lean on dining to generate traffic. Colicchio Consulting found that leading food halls operate as cultural hubs, not just restaurant collections. Topanga Social’s new format follows that logic with branded food, entertainment and rotating activations.
Why It Matters
Mall owners are using food and entertainment to extend visits and create reasons for customers to return. Topanga Social shows the risk when a food hall relies too heavily on its opening lineup. URW’s six-month test shifts the model toward limited-run attractions and frequent refreshes. The result could show whether rotating concepts can sustain interest after the novelty of an opening fades.
What’s Next
Chain’s residency is scheduled to run through February 2027, though the company has left open a longer stay. The first test begins with Cheez-It Court and other rotating collaborations. URW will be watching whether novelty can translate into sustained customer interest after the initial launch. The conventional upstairs food court will continue operating separately during the residency.
