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The Vallco Fashion Park mall is filled with many things. It's filled with bright signs and smooth, piped-in music. It's filled with unique retail shops, selling items that can't be found anywhere else. However, the one thing it has not been filled with lately is an abundance of people.
"It's been like this for a few years," said Elisa Hall, owner of Vico Collection, a small boutique that sells Chinese crafts and collectibles. She said her store is in need of more business and hopes that the new restaurant being built on the first floor of the mall will bring customers in.
With the opening of the Dynasty Chinese Seafood Restaurant June 10 comes a real possibility of more foot traffic through the Vallco halls.
"The mall definitely needs something to bring the people back," said Marlo Jenkins of Palo Alto. "If the restaurant has good food, it might work."
The Cantonese-Hong Kong Style restaurant has one other location on Story Road in East San Jose. "We have been successful there, so people know our name," she said. Crystal Mai, assistant manager of the new restaurant, said. The Cupertino restaurant will have a similar atmosphere, and the decor may be even better than the original.
Mann Cheng, manager of the original Dynasty, said the new location will be a larger replica of the one in San Jose.
With crystal chandeliers and neon lights tucked about the high ceiling, Cheng said his restaurant is recognized for its ambiance.
"We also serve first class food," Cheng said, pointing to his restaurant's collection of live seafood in an aquarium.
Mai agrees that the quality of the food combined with an elaborate environment will draw customers to the new restaurant.
"We hope to attract more American diners with this location," she said. She maintains that the Vallco location might entice a more culturally diverse audience.
Joanna Leung, who works in accounting for Vallco, said she has faith that Dynasty will draw more patrons to the mall.
"The economy has been slow," she said. "But things are going to get better."
Mai said she is not overly concerned about the pace of mall traffic since she has heard many people tell her that this was a good location.
She said the company has had a good relationship with the community at its San Jose location, and she expects that to carry over.
The construction of the project, which Mai said has been contemplated for about 11/2 years, is now nearing completion.
Allen Yeung, one of the head construction workers on the project, said that the design is definitely in its final stages.
He said that the builders have been working hard, on both day and night shifts, and now they are watching everything take shape.
Shefali Mungali, a Cupertino resident and frequent visitor to Vallco Fashion Park, said she thinks that the building of a new restaurant might just be what the mall needs.
"It depends," she said. "There are already quite a few restaurants here. But if it's good, it probably would bring a lot of people.
Dynasty is not the only plan Vallco has in store to promote patrons. The much-anticipated AMC Theatre will also be built effect in the near future.
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