Regency Centers Welcomes Popular Eatery to Heritage Plaza

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Regency Centers, REG, a national owner, operator and developer of grocery-anchored shopping centers, has announced the addition of a new popular eatery, EMC Seafood & Raw Bar, to its Heritage Plaza center located in Irvine, CA.

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The first EMC Seafood & Raw Bar opened in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles in 2013, and quickly became the place-to-be. Restauranteur Michael Kwan who is behind Wokcano, Spear, Big Catch and several other popular concepts, owns EMC Seafood & Raw Bar along with Charles Hung and Ellis Choi. The menu offers a raw bar consisting of oysters, live uni, a seafood tower as well as fish and meat entrees. The restaurant has also become famously known for its fully stocked bar and specialty drink menu served-up by EMC mixologists.

"This location marks EMC Seafood & Raw Bar's first entry into the Orange County market. We are excited to establish our flagship location at Heritage Plaza in Irvine," says Michael Kwan, owner of EMC Seafood & Raw Bar. "From both culinary and design perspectives, we've been working with an exceptionally talented team and look forward to seeing the project come to fruition."

For this particular location, EMC engaged Spacecraft Group, a Hollywood-based architectural design and construction firm, to bring this unique concept to the Irvine community.

"EMC Irvine will include an indoor-outdoor space with a clean, cool-coastal feel," says August Weiss of Spacecraft. "The 7,600 SF restaurant will be designed using a soft monochromatic pallet of light gray and beige with aquamarine accents and very few materials."

EMC Seafood & Raw Bar joins the recently redeveloped Heritage Plaza, which has added other specialty tenants such as Mitsuwa Marketplace, Bruxie Gourmet Waffle Sandwiches, The Habit Burger and Caffe Bene amongst others. The plaza underwent a $10 million renovation, including a new exterior facade, updated landscaping and new outdoor dining areas. EMC Seafood & Raw Bar will replace the space previously occupied by the Elephant Bar.

"Through extensive canvassing of the Southern California marketplace, our focus was aimed at attracting a unique and innovative restaurant concept that would fill a void in the trade area. We feel that EMC Seafood & Raw Bar will prove to be the perfect fit for our evolving merchandising mix at Heritage Plaza," says Senior Leasing Agent Omar Hussein. "Construction has started and we anticipate the restaurant to open in the fourth quarter of 2015."

For leasing inquiries at Heritage Plaza, please contact Omar Hussein at 858-847-4622, or OmarHussein@regencycenters.com.

About Regency Centers Corporation REG

With more than 50 years of experience, Regency is the preeminent national owner, operator and developer of high-quality, grocery-anchored neighborhood and community shopping centers. The Company's portfolio of 321 retail properties encompasses over 43 million square feet located in top markets throughout the United States, including co-investment partnerships. Regency has developed 219 shopping centers since 2000, representing an investment at completion of more than $3 billion. Operating as a fully integrated real estate company, Regency is a qualified real estate investment trust that is self-administered and self-managed.

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