Prime steaks will be sizzling at the new Larsen’s Steakhouse slated to open at Westfield Valencia Town Center this month. The new Valencia restaurant at 24320 Town Center Drive, Suite 130, will be the company’s third establishment in the greater Valley region, joining Larsen’s Steakhouse in Encino and Larsen’s Grill in Simi Valley. Flemming Larsen, who owns the restaurants with his wife, said the duo intends to open at least three more locations over the next few years. Larsen said he was lured to Valencia by affluent demographics and the lack of high-end dining options available to residents. “Valencia has a great population up here, as well as a good demographic — a lot of doctors and lawyers and industry people,” Larsen said. The area is home to many restaurants, but there are “zero fine-dining” venues. “Hopefully, we’re going to fill that void,” he said. Larsen’s Steakhouse offers a range of appetizers, steak and seafood entrees and a la carte sides. Meats run the gamut of portions and flavors — from an 8 oz. petite filet mignon with bernaise to a bone-in, 24-26 oz. prime rib. Among the many fish entrees are halibut, salmon and lobster tail. In Santa Clarita, there is high demand for fine steakhouses such as Larsen’s, said Jason Crawford, the city’s economic development manager. He noted the city conducts a public opinion survey every year or two, asking residents what types of restaurants and stores they would like to have located in the city, and which ones they are leaving town to find. “At the top of the list has always been a Morton’s (or) Fleming’s-type steakhouse, so Larsen’s will fit that need really well,” Crawford said. Raj Chandani, general manager of Westfield Valencia Town Center, said the restaurant brand’s upscale dining experience makes it a perfect match for its shoppers and diners, who generally earn six-figure incomes. Indeed, he said, the steakhouse will provide an additional boost to the shopping center, which has 15 full-service restaurants. “We want the repeat foot traffic,” Chandani said. The new establishment has a completely remodeled space and will seat about 175 people. It will follow the same menu and design concept as Larsen’s Steakhouse in Encino. The new steakhouse’s general manager, Michael Vonnegut, was most recently the general manager for Morton’s The Steakhouse in Woodland Hills. Expansion Mode As Larsen prepares to open the Valencia location, he is eyeing his next restaurant project. The restaurateur said he is in the process of negotiating for three other locations for his steakhouse brand. “We’re looking at Pasadena, Downtown L.A. and the West Side right now,” he said. “We’ll be jumping on any one of those (next).” Larsen said his goal is to open a fourth steakhouse in one of those locations by mid-2013 and, perhaps, two additional locations in 2014. He also is considering Camarillo as a possible future location for the Larsen’s Grill brand, a different restaurant concept. Larsen’s Grill in Simi Valley is a larger location with a bigger menu, serving entrees such as chicken, ribs and sushi, along with steak and seafood. While the restaurant industry is no easy playing field, Larsen’s restaurants have fared well in recent years. Revenue figures at the Encino and Simi Valley locations were up by double-digit percentages in 2011 compared to 2010, he said. “We’re not the most inexpensive place you’re going to go to, so there has to be a perceived value (for) people coming to our restaurants,” Larsen said. “Our perceived value is just the great experience… They come here to be wined and dined and treated right.” To ensure quality and customer satisfaction, Larsen said his staff makes next-day calls to diners who make reservations. “If somebody comes in and they had a bad experience, they tend to go to Yelp… and write bad reviews,” he said. “What we do is call the next day and ask them how their experience was, just to follow up, and we can mitigate a lot of our damages that way.” Larsen also is a licensed contractor, which he says allows him to keep costs down when building new restaurants. The Valencia steakhouse will be completely debt-free upon opening, he said. Larsen started working as a butcher in 1984 and worked in the grocery store sector before buying his first restaurant in Solvang, Calif., in 1991. Before opening his current restaurants, Larsen also owned concepts Buddies Diner, which were 1950s-themed diners, and Dakota’s Steakhouse. He opened Larsen’s Steakhouse in Encino in March 2008 and Larsen’s Grill in December 2010.
Steakhouse Brings New Flavor to Santa Clarita Valley
