The old Broadway Deli space will finally be home to another restaurant.
After being vacant for just over three years following the closure of the beloved deli, the restaurant side of the building will soon become a Steak ‘n Shake chain, a fast casual restaurant with locations mostly in the Midwest, South and Eastern states.
The closest location currently is in Las Vegas.
The realtor representing the owners of the building at the corner of Broadway and the Third Street Promenade confirmed the move this week.
Representatives with Steak ‘n Shake could not be reached for comment. It's unclear when the restaurant will open. Knowing how government works, it could be awhile. Articles on the move said the chain was supposed to start slinging burgers by late 2013. Those same articles said the brand intends to make the Santa Monica location a flagship store as it expands into the West Coast.
Steak ‘n Shake was founded in 1934 in Normal, Ill. It's signature offering, the Steakburger, is said to be made with 100 percent beef and contains no preservatives and no artificial ingredients, which should go over well in Santa Monica, where freshness is a top priority when dining out. In 2012, Zagat recognized Steak'n Shake as having the number one milkshake.
There are more than 400 company-owned Steak ‘n Shakes and more than 100 or so that are franchised, according to the parent company, Biglari Holdings.
The other half of the building will be occupied by athletic clothing chain Lululemon, which currently has a retail store on Santa Monica Boulevard near Fourth Street.
That space was formerly occupied by Desigual, a casual clothing brand based in Barcelona, Spain. It made a splash when it first opened in 2011 by offering customers discounts if they lined up along the promenade one morning wearing only their underwear. The company closed shop sometime late last year.
