Following the closure, the property will evolve. The massive space, located in the Asian District near Dobson and Broadway roads, will be divided and the exterior will get a facelift. Two new tenants – a different grocer and the indoor trampoline attraction Urban Air Adventure Park – are slated to move in, says Drew Burtoni, development manager for Mekong Real Estate Investment Group.
“It’s a completely full place,” he says, noting that was not the case when the group originally bought the 14.5-acre campus. “We’re excited about the future of it.”
But, the impending closure also means that month-to-month tenants, including restaurants Fatboy Sandos and WokOn will need to find a new home, and fast.
In response, Fatboy Sandos owner Rafael De La Cuesta has set up a crowdfunding campaign hoping to raise $40,000 to assist his Japanese-inspired sandwich shop and its marketplace neighbor, casual Chinese eatery WokOn, while they navigate finding a new home.
De La Cuesta says he and the owner of WokOn aim to find a property near the district that the two restaurants can operate from together.
“We just want to try and survive for our employees,” says Del La Cuesta, who has a crew of seven working in Mesa.
Fatboy Sandos serves a selection of artfully crafted sandwiches, including this secret menu item stuffed with pork katsu and shrimp ebi katsu.
Mike Madriaga
De La Cuesta founded Fatboy Sandos in Tucson in 2022. He added their Mesa outpost in September 2023, bringing the restaurant’s fluffy milk bread sandwiches, rice bowls and the Japanese shave ice, kakigori to the Valley.
Although the restaurants have always been on month-to-month leases and had heard rumblings that the grocer could close, it seemed far off, De La Cuesta says. He had been looking for a new location before news of the closure, but those plans have now been accelerated.
“We thought we were OK there until we were ready, but (we've had) no time to prepare financially, or even mentally,” he says.
De La Cuesta emphasizes he has no issue with the owners, who provided the notice required.
“I’m not mad at them, it just is what it is,” he says.
Mekong Real Estate Investment Group also owns the nearby Mekong Plaza – a reimagined shopping center that is home to an array of culinary delights including a supermarket, dim sum restaurant Mekong Palace and a food court.
The Mekong Plaza is in the midst of a $10 million expansion, adding more space for restaurants and shops. It is anticipated to debut the expanded plaza in April or May, Burtoni says.
De La Cuesta says he explored the possibility of moving to Mekong Plaza, but the only vacancies were in the expansion, which require the capital to do a full restaurant build-out. In the meantime, he has been checking out spaces around the Valley.
“Definitely some hopefuls,” he says, “so fingers crossed.”
Until then, he's encouraging people to show their support by donating or showing up for both restaurants last few weekends at the marketplace.
"The community always seems to pull through," he says.
Fatboy Sandos and WokOn
Open at AZ International Marketplace until Dec. 11920 W. Broadway Road, Mesa
