CHAIN STEAKS CLAIM; RESTAURANT COULD HASTEN FALLBROOK MALL UPGRADE.

Byline: Gregory J. Wilcox Daily News Staff Writer

In what could be the first sign of a face lift for the Fallbrook Mall, a Minneapolis-based steakhouse chain plans to open a new restaurant at the facility, officials said Wednesday.

The Original Roadhouse Grill should start cooking up steaks during the last part of this year on the site of what used to be a Don Ricardo's Mexican restaurant at Fallbrook Avenue and Victory Boulevard.

The new eatery will employee up to 100 people, said Neal Wichard, co-founder of Hometown Buffet and senior vice president of real estate for Buffets Inc., whose operations include the Original Roadhouse Grill chain.

Buffets Inc., which operates the Hometown Buffet restaurant inside the mall, will spend about $1 million building the 6,900-square-foot restaurant, he said.

The company, which operates 390 buffet restaurants nationwide, also plans to open steakhouses in Long Beach and Bakersfield this year. Four facilities are already open in the West, including one in San Diego.

Wichard said business at the Hometown Buffet has been good and that he expects the same kind of performance from the Original Roadhouse Grill despite the fact that other free-standing restaurants have not fared well in that location.

``That's a point position and is a very busy and vibrant intersection. It's got a great population base, too,'' Wichard said of the new restaurant's location.

Another factor in the decision to open a new restaurant is the possibility that Chicago-based General Growth Properties Inc., the mall's owner, may upgrade the facility.

``They really understand the dynamics of retail and how to make it work. They've got a lot of plans on the table right now and are making a lot of progress over there,'' Wichard said.

General Properties opened the mall in 1966 and renovated it in 1985.

Officials said new renovation plans are now just at the idea stage.

``We've had brainstorming sessions to see what we can do with it and how can we make it better, help people in the (San Fernando) Valley and make it more attractive to our customers,'' said Vince Citrino, the mall's general manager.

Negotiations are also under way with possible tenants at a former bank and another restaurant site on the mall's property, officials said.

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Photo, Map

PHOTO (Color) An Original Roadhouse Grill will move into the former Don Ricardo's restaurant, after an overhaul, at the Fallbrook Mall in West Hills.

Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News

MAP: Woodland Hills