Zoës Kitchen has a fresh-from-the-garden sensibility

Published 9:37 pm Sunday, July 19, 2015

New buildings have been erected cross from T.J. Maxx at the Village at Cumberland Park shopping center in Tyler. (photo by Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

Zoës Kitchen, a fast casual restaurant that serves Mediterranean-inspired dishes, plans to open its Tyler location on Aug. 4.

Located at 8926 S. Broadway Ave. Suite 104 at The Village at Cumberland Park, the restaurant is one of five expected to open at the shopping center within the next 90 to 120 days, according to Matt Wilson, vice president of development with the Retail Connection.

Wilson said there are more than 40 tenants now at The Village at Cumberland.

“I think they’ll make a huge impact on the shopping center,” Wilson said. “You have just one restaurant currently open (at the Village at Cumberland Park).”

Zoës Kitchen in Tyler will be the chain’s 153rd location overall and 41st in Texas.



James Chang, Texas regional operator of Zoës Kitchen, said Tyler residents who order from Zoës Kitchen should expect fresh food made with quality ingredients.

“Our menu is inspired by founder Zoë Cassimus’ family recipes and her simple, fresh-from-the-garden sensibility,” Chang said in an email. “Nothing is fried, and there are no microwaves!”

Zoës Kitchen signature dishes include salads, chicken kabobs, chicken rollups and hummus. The restaurant also offers a variety of gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options.

Chang said Zoës provides an authentic Mediterranean eating experience.

“Customers can expect to get a glimpse of what it’s like to live Mediterranean after they had a meal with us at Zoës,” Chang said. “Zoë says, ‘if it wasn’t food 100 years ago, it’s not food today.'”

Zoës Kitchen in Tyler will seat approximately 78 guests in the dining room and includes an outdoor patio that seats 46. The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily and plans to offer beer and wine.

With the addition of Zoës Kitchen, and the wave of other tenants committing to lease space in The Village at Cumberland Park, Wilson said he thinks the shopping center is on track to meeting its goal of being completely filled by the end of 2016.

“The overall goal is that we’ll (be) available to reach 700,000 square feet altogether for the project, and then plus or minus approximately 100 stores,” Wilson said.

In the meantime, Chang hopes the new restaurant brings joy to its customers.

“We make a daily effort to share goodness with our customers and create a family-friendly atmosphere for people who value their time and a good, healthy meal,” Chang said. “Zoës Kitchen is dedicated to delivering convenient in-store and takeout meal solutions that enable families to get out of the kitchen and enjoy more time together.”