Is Green Acres Mall Getting A Fogo De Chao? Hempstead IDA Approves New Mall Leases

VALLEY STREAM, NY. — Nassau County could be in line for a second Brazilian steakhouse once construction is complete at Green Acres Mall, as the Town of Hempstead Industrial Development Agency approved a trio of leases for prospective tenants at the mall Tuesday. Among the tenants given the green light was Fogo De Chao.

Expanding into the U.S. in 1997, the steakhouse chain operates 60 stateside locations, including one in Garden City and one in Huntington. The Green Acres location would be its third on Long Island, with additional restaurants in Western Queens and Manhattan.

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“Our investment in Green Acres Mall and the adjacent Green Acres Commons, demonstrates the attraction of these shopping centers to attract a diverse range of high-quality national tenants,” IDA President Fred Parola said. “Our investment in Green Acres continues to generate dividends for the residents of the Town of Hempstead in the form of new business, increased employment, and the generation of new sales tax revenues.”

Investment is hardly a new word for Green Acres, which announced a $100 million renovation and expansion effort last year that would bring almost 400,000 square feet of new retail space to the mall. That effort has already been complimented by new tenants like Old Navy and Sunglass Hut.

Wednesday, Parola told Patch that there wasn't a set date for the steakhouse to open in the mall. The IDA did announce that the location would occupy 7,551 feet of commercial space in Green Acres Commons and employ 85 people.

Also announced Wednesday was the approval of a lease for Wonder Food Hall, which currently operates in Port Jefferson and Melville, to bring its business to Green Acres. Wonder, under the same ownership as meal kit service Blue Apron and food delivery app GrubHub, uses a shared kitchen to make food for a number of storefronts in its locations, offering fast-casual options to diners across a variety of cuisines. The Wonder Food Hall space, the IDA said, would fill between 35 and 40 jobs, occupying 2,748 square feet of space.

Finally, King Jewelers jewelry and watch-repair kiosk had a lease approved for a 150-foot space that'll keep one person on staff full-time and four people staffed part-time.