The Kitchen United Mix food court on the Third Street Promenade is set to undergo a radical transformation into an arcade-style mini golf experience, offering alcoholic beverages and bar food.
The 14,000 square-foot space at 1315 Third Street was leased by Holey Moley, a mini golf and restaurant concept from the Australian-based entertainment brand, Funlab. A little over a year ago, the space had just been leased to a plethora of new, peculiar-named, fast-casual restaurants: Gogo Ya, Ms. Clucks Deluxe, Mr Roni Cups and Chipotle’s grand experiment, Farmesa. However, none of them survived beyond the summer of last year and since winter the site has been empty.
Holey Moley describes the experience as “a mini golf course and bar that turns traditional putt putt into a multi-sensory labyrinth of unique holes. It’s nifty, it’s nostalgic, it’s a bit ‘80s and a bit ‘90s. Mostly, it’s the craziest round of mini golf you’ve ever played. And with drinks, cocktails and tunes available at our full-service bar, the Caddyshack, all of your off-the-green needs are taken care of.”
Funlab opened its first US locations of Holey Moley last year in Austin and Denver. The group also opened a Houston outpost last month and is currently developing a location in San Francisco. The Santa Monica project is set to open by the end of this year.
“Since bringing Holey Moley to the United States of America, we’ve been absolutely overwhelmed by the amazing feedback from all our guests. Across tens of thousands of rounds of mini golf, our guests got their friends and family together to kick putt with our unique brand of pop-culture inspired mini golf where we take fun to a whole new level, cocktail in hand,” Michael Schreiber, Funlab CEO, said in a statement.
“Launching on the 3rd Street Promenade is the perfect location for us to continue bringing competitive socializing fun to the USA, this time, in the heart of Santa Monica near the iconic Pier. Santa Monicans and tourists alike can expect an out-of-this-world immersive experience that combines mini-golf, nostalgia, art, music, competitiveness, quirky cocktails and delicious eats — creating a truly memorable and fun experience where entertainment meets hospitality.”
Nashville-based Matthews Real Estate Investment Services, a commercial real estate investment services firm, completed the lease, with Associate Kyle Pari and National Director Michael Pakravan representing the landlord Leo Pustilnikov. The entire property stands five stories tall and is approximately 28,393 square feet.
“We are actively seeking tenants to join Holey Moley at the1315 3rd Street Promenade,” Pakravan said in a statement. “Holey Moley leased a portion of the first floor, as well as the entire second and third floors. We are seeking restaurants as well as other entertainment concepts to complement Holey Moley and fill the remaining available space in the building.”