Chili’s Fate Hangs In The Balance With Kroger’s Arrival

It was recently announced that Kroger purchased the strip mall in Portage that once held Big Lots, Chuck E. Cheese, and JoAnn Fabrics. The sale was made recently for a price tag of $10.3 million, and would mark the first time in a long time that Kroger, the nation's largest supermarket chain, would be returning to the Kalamazoo area in Portage.

Originally, it was thought that the purchase of the 71,250 square-foot property just accounted for the strip mall, but it turns out that the standalone Chili's location was also included in the deal.

That Chili's may be closing permanently, as according to one report, there are rumors that the Chili’s will also be torn down:

Information on this project is limited as of now, with no set, start construction date, and or open date. Kroger will be totally tearing down this whole plaza in all buildings located here before beginning the construction on their new building. The Chili’s restaurant will also be torn down and the lot will be the home of the new Kroger gas station. At this time, we are unsure of Chili’s will be permanently closing or moving locations.

 

There are quite a few vacant restaurant buildings in the Portage area that I could see Chili’s taking over, but as of yet, there has been no announcement as to whether or not the location is permanently going away or just moving to a new building.

We will have to keep an eye on their Facebook page to see if any announcements will be made soon.