Santa Clarita is about to see a reshuffling of sorts for its coffee spots, and a new restaurant, with both going into the Valencia shopping center anchored by Whole Foods Market.
The current location of the Starbucks next to the Corner Bakery at the corner of McBean Parkway and Valencia Boulevard is turning into a Philz Coffee, according to city planners who said the move, while not quite official, is pending a greenlight from planners any day now.
Mendocino Farms is slated to take the location that was formerly a Pei Wei.
Philz Coffee
The new coffee shop doesn’t yet have a foothold in the Santa Clarita Valley is based in San Francisco, but there are 20 locations just in Southern California in an area stretching from La Jolla to Camarillo.
Philz started inside a convenience store in that city’s Mission District in 1978 and opened its first store in 2003, according to the company’s website. A representative did not immediately return a request for comment Wednesday.
“We specialize in customized coffee blends, made from sustainably sourced green beans from around the world, and skillfully roasted in our roasting facility in Oakland,” the site states.
A small coffee costs approximately $4.90 pre-tax, according to Philz’s website.
For those worried over the future of Philz’ Seattle-based rival, this is not a contraction of Starbucks, just a move.
The new location, a drive-thru, is planning to go in the former location of the car wash that was next to the Hyatt Regency Valencia, which is currently a vacant lot.
Older Santa Clarita Valley residents also may remember the future Starbucks drive-thru location as being near the former site of the Greens, a miniature golf course. Starbucks received its permits more than a year ago, according to the city.
Jason Crawford, director of community development for the city of Santa Clarita, said it wasn’t unusual for one coffee place to take the spot of another, as Starbucks competitors like Dunkin Donuts have done the same in the past.
“Other coffee places pick them up because people are used to going to those places for coffee,” he said.
Mendocino Farms
The sandwich, salad and soup purveyors heading into the former home of the pan-Asian counter-serve chain first opened in 2005.
“We are working with Mendocino Farms, which is planning to locate in the restaurant space that was formerly Pei Wei,” Crawford said. “We are excited to be adding them to our community. They will be making some facade improvements to the building to freshen it up.”
A company representative did not immediately respond to an inquiry on the restaurant’s website.
The company’s site notes that it first opened its doors in 2005 as a family business, “with the vision to offer much more than great food — we wanted to build a welcoming gathering place where happiness is always an order away. And we’ve been inviting our guests to Eat Happy ever since.”
Two popular “Chef’s Creations” currently offered at the restaurant include the “Hot Honey Peach & Prosciutto Sandwich” and the “Strawberry Fields Salad with Chicken,” which both start at a little over $13.
