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photos by Joie de Vivre Photographie
He grew up in the Midwest — Wichita, Kansas to be exact. Always having a romantic view of living in California, it’s no surprise Mark Mears and his wife Stacy finally made their way west, calling Santa Clarita their home with their twin daughters for the last six years.
Mark’s love for working for the food industry dates back to 1987. “My first opportunity was with Pizza Hut, in the corporate office,” states Mark. “I worked my way up in the marketing ranks and was able to do a lot of very cool things. I fell in love with serving people, not just creating and selling food.”
Mark previously served as the Chief Marketing Officer at Blimpie and in 2008, joined The Cheesecake Factory as the Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. In April 2010, Mark was named the President and Chief Concept Officer of Mimi’s Café, a 145-unit casual dining restaurant chain. “It was difficult to leave a great brand like The Cheesecake Factory, but when the opportunity came up to lead the Mimi’s Café, I jumped at the opportunity to take over a concept that I had fallen in love with while living in Dallas several years ago,” says Mark.
Based in Irvine, California, Mimi’s Café operates in 24 states, with 57 operating in California.
One of those restaurants makes its home here in Santa Clarita, nestled along Magic Mountain Parkway. It is at this very location, where Mark decided to reimage the Mimi’s Café brand, making the 34-year old French inspired neighborhood eatery, a truly unique and differentiated dining experience.
“Our founder, Arthur J. Simms, originally created Mimi’s Café as a French inspired neighborhood bistro, and over the years, as different leadership groups came in, the vibe of the restaurant changed,” states Mark. “When I came in, I wanted to go back to our founder’s original vision, but make it relevant and contemporary for the way guests want to dine today.”
Out of 145 restaurants spanning from California to Florida, Mark chose the Valencia branch for the “French Revolution” as he dubbed the term for the Mimi’s brand reimage program. “I felt like this was a great opportunity that the Santa Clarita Valley would embrace, as there is nothing else like it out here,” states Mark. “The fact is, I live out here, and when you do work on concepts to test, you want to make sure you get it right and have access to refine it, however, for me, it’s also a testimony to the investment that my family and I have made in Santa Clarita and the community.”
Since the new restaurant concept, more than 60 new people have been hired, creating jobs for members in our community. “Not only have we created jobs, but we also created a Mimi’s Cares program, an initiative that supports causes our guests care most about — women’s health and wellness, children’s health and wellness and hunger in our community. “We are more than just a restaurant that serves food, we want to make a difference in our community and give back. We want to serve our guests who come to dine with us as well as those who cannot. We believe that it is our responsibility to support these causes and help fulfill these important needs. That is why the idea of Mimi’s Cares is important.” For more information on Mimi’s Cares, visit www.mimiscafe.com/cares.
On October 12, Mimi’s in Valencia re-opened with its new restaurant concept — Mimi’s Bakery, Café & Bistro, featuring a new French bakery, gourmet coffee program, expanded carryout selection, grab-and-go display, full service bar and bistro. “It’s not just about the food,” says Mark. “It’s about delivering a total dining experience – creating Mimi’s Moments they’ll remember for a long time.”
Mimi’s Valencia is located at 24201 W. Magic Mountain Parkway, in Valencia. For more information, call 661-255-5520 or visit www.mimiscafe.com. |
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