MIMI'S CAFE EYES VALENCIA LOCATION FOR FRENCH EATERY.

Byline: Stacy Brown Daily News Staff Writer

A spring opening is planned for Mimi's Cafe in Valencia, on the site where Tony Roma's and a similar barbecue-style restaurant failed.

Construction began this week in the River Oaks shopping center on the popular and colorful eatery with the French-New Orleans style interior.

Jeanne Hemphill, director of marketing and training at Mimi's Orange County headquarters, said the site at the corner of Magic Mountain Parkway and Auto Center Drive was chosen because a survey taken in Thousand Oaks displayed a need for the restaurant in Valencia.

``We found that people would go from Santa Clarita to Thousand Oaks to eat at our restaurant and they'd always comment on how much they'd love to have a Mimi's in their neighborhood,'' Hemphill said.

Construction workers Tuesday said work should be completed within months.

``We have a March date set,'' Hemphill said. The store is expected to bring 100 new jobs to Santa Clarita and attract even more people to the ever-expanding Valencia commercial center.

Marlee Lauffer, of The Newhall Land and Farming Company, said the cafe will be a 6,500-square-foot building and that those dining at the restaurant will enjoy the menu, which consists of omelettes, egg dishes, griddle items, brunch selections, soups, salads and even the Mimi's Fitness Center of health foods.

Hemphill said one reason she expects the chain to fare well at the Valencia location is because of the popularity of Mimi's.

``People seem to know when we are going to open. It is unbelievable the response we get, and part of that is because you come in our restaurant and get some really good food and great service, and you feel good when you leave because you are not broke,'' Hemphill said.

Officials at the cafe's headquarters said they have had their eye on Santa Clarita for some time.

``Yes, we have been looking at the Santa Clarita Valley for two years now, because we know it's a great market and a family community and that's what we are about - family,'' Hemphill said.

With 31 restaurants in Southern California and Arizona, the first Mimi's Cafe opened in 1974 on Santa Monica Boulevard in Los Angeles. Employees of the chain are trained at Mimi's University, where they are taught to be courteous, kind and customer-service minded, Hemphill said. Before the store opens next year, Hemphill said, a trailer will be put at the site where job applications will be available.

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PHOTO (color in SAC edition only) The Tony Roma's restaurant in Valencia is being torn down for a Mimi's Cafe.

Shaun Dyer/Special to the Daily News