Celebrity-backed eatery files for bankruptcy

Deepa Bharath

SOUTH COAST PLAZA -- An upscale restaurant opened two years ago at the

shopping center and partly owned by celebrities such as Kevin Costner,

Robert Wagner and golfers Fred Couples and Jack Nicklaus filed for

Chapter 11 in an Illinois bankruptcy court Oct. 4, restaurant officials

said this week.

A tough economy and a lull in business travel after the Sept. 11

attacks on the East Coast are partially to blame for The Clubhouse

restaurant’s situation, said Paul Kraft, vice president of operations.

“These factors sped up the process,” he said, noting that the

restaurant will not cease operations.

“We’re going to go the other way and expand,” he said. An investment

trust company from Chicago has come forward to help with the expansion,

Kraft said.

The Clubhouse now runs two other restaurants in Chicago and Atlanta.

“We haven’t made decisions about where and how to expand,” Kraft said.

“That is in the process of happening.”

But in an effort to move forward, the restaurant has decided to give

its South Coast Plaza operation a new look and an eclectic feel, Kraft

said.

The restaurant now specializes in traditional American food, but Kraft

said guests can soon expect food that is “fresher, lighter and more fun.”

“We’d like to present California fusion-type food that seems to be

more popular with this community,” he said. “We have conducted surveys

and found that our food is good but not great.”

To that end, Kraft has hired a new chef, director of catering and a

managing partner who he believes will provide him the much-needed

changes.

South Coast Plaza officials declined to comment on the bankruptcy.

“The Clubhouse is still our tenant, and they will continue as our

tenants,” said Debra Gunn Downing, executive director of marketing for

the plaza. “We cannot comment on the legal issue.”

Kraft said the decision to file for bankruptcy was made “fairly

quickly to protect our business and our employees.”

“But we’ve got a great partnership with South Coast Plaza,” he said.

“We need to get through this.”