Capriotti's Sandwich Shop plans to open its first Central Valley location at Fig Garden Village by April. Image via Capriotti's

Shopping centers continue to fill spaces as Visalia Mall and Fig Garden Village both bring new eateries to the Central Valley.

A new sandwich shop is coming to Fig Garden Village with a possible opening date of April 1, according to Rick Feder, general manager of the shopping center. Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop will take over the 1,200 square feet that once housed Kebab Express.

Construction began Monday, Feder said, adding that an opening could happen even earlier than April 1.

Capriotti’s has opened 18 stores since the pandemic began and has signed 24 multi-unit franchise agreements, bringing an additional 106 new restaurants to the country, according to a press release from the company.

The Delaware-based sandwich chain started in 1974, serving hot and cold subs and salads. They recently partnered with Snake River Farms to offer sandwiches with American Wagyu beef.

The tenant improvement is being done by Roseville-based RC Pacific Construction Inc., according to the Construction Monitor. The Construction Monitor put the valuation of the project at $200,000.

California Fish Grill opened at the Visalia Mall before Thanksgiving, Feeder said. It is occupying the larger portion of a 5,000 square-foot building built in the footprint of a former bank that was demolished in 2018. The location had been vacant since 2004.

California Fish Grill serves a wide variety of fish for its bowls, tacos and plates with a focus on healthy and responsibly sourced food, according to their website. The restaurant is headquartered in Irvine. The Visalia location is the chain’s first foray into the Central Valley, Feder said.

Construction was supposed to begin in January 2020, but delays pushed it back. When Covid shutdowns happened, it delayed construction even more, he said.

Next door to California Fish Grill is Urbane Cafe — a deli that is neighbored with the seafood restaurant, Feder said.

It serves a variety of sandwiches and salads, using focaccia bread as its specialty. The salads have a wide variety of toppings including beets, quinoa and greens.

Urbane Cafe could be open as early as next month.

The three new restaurants brings more choices, Feder said.

“People in the Central Valley like to eat out a lot,” he said. When it’s 100 degrees outside, people don’t want to cook. And having a variety of restaurants means bringing people to the mall.”

“It’s another option,” Feder added. “I think that’s what makes retail so exciting is there are so many options.”

Brookfield Properties Retail owns and operates both Fig Garden Village and the Visalia Mall.