The Cheesecake Factory left Chesterfield Mall in 2024 when the property was demolished. Its next West County location is in Des Peres. Urban Outfitters closed its two-level store at the Galleria and reopened at West County Center. A fast-casual pasta concept in the Trader Joe's center on Manchester Road closed in March, and another fast-casual pasta concept signed for the same room.
Each of these moves landed in Des Peres, and almost every one went into a space that had a recent tenant. The fall calendar follows the same pattern. Some of it is already open. The rest has a date that is still only a target.
The Cheesecake Factory's search for a new West County site ended in Restaurant Village
West Newsmagazine reported that the company had been looking for another West County site since the Chesterfield Mall restaurant closed for demolition. It found one in West County Center's Restaurant Village, in the space McCormick & Schmick's once held. The target opening date is November 10. Alethea Rowe, the company's senior director of public relations, said the company has been in the St. Louis area since 2002.
The interior won't look like the Chesterfield restaurant. Rowe described the new design:
"Our West County Center restaurant will feature our new herringbone flooring, walnut-clad ceilings, clusters of blown-glass light fixtures and a custom mural above the cook's line."
The company also said it was hiring up to 280 people for this location. Des Peres Mayor Mark Becker said the restaurant's arrival "reinforces Des Peres as a welcoming place for businesses to succeed."
November 10 is still a target. St. Louis Magazine's October 5 openings tracker lists the restaurant at 17-A West County Center under "coming soon" for November. In June, mall owner CBL Properties said construction was underway and the restaurant was expected to open "this fall." The same June release said "a first-to-market new restaurant concept" for the mall would be announced in the coming months. None of the sources reviewed for this piece name that concept.
The Galleria's Urban Outfitters moved to Des Peres
The St. Louis Business Journal reported in September that Urban Outfitters closed its two-level Galleria store and opened a 7,352-square-foot store at West County Center. The Des Peres store uses the company's newest retail format and is the ninth location built that way. The mall's homepage now marks it "Now Open."
CBL's June 4, 2026 leasing announcement gave the company's own figures for the mall as of that date: more than 7.1 million annual visitors, 98% occupancy, and sales just under $900 per square foot. CEO Stephen Lebovitz called West County Center "one of CBL's top properties." At 98% occupancy, almost every new tenant has to move into a space someone else left.
The full list from that release shows how much of the mall is changing this year:
| Store | What CBL announced | Status as of early October 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| POP MART | First Missouri location, first in CBL's portfolio | Opened in early May |
| Foot Locker | Recent opening | Open |
| Urban Outfitters | Relocation from the Galleria | Open |
| L'Occitane | Grand opening "this year" | Grand-opening weekend October 9–11, Level 2 |
| Levi's | Grand opening "this year" | Listed in the mall directory; no confirmed opening date |
| Perfumania | Grand opening "this year" | No confirmed opening date |
| American Eagle Outfitters, Victoria's Secret | Store renovations "later this year" | No completion dates given |
The L'Occitane grand opening begins tomorrow in Space 2215 on Level 2. It is the soonest date on this fall's list.
One former credit union branch on Manchester now holds two restaurants
On Manchester Road, the newest openings are in a building that used to be a bank branch. The Webster-Kirkwood Times reported that the Des Peres Board of Aldermen approved permits for four restaurants at one meeting. One of them, CAVA, would go into 12340 Manchester Road, the former First Community Credit Union branch office.
St. Louis Magazine's October tracker shows that CAVA opened at 12340 Manchester on September 17. Sourdough & Co opened at the same address three days later, on September 20. The Webster-Kirkwood Times had called CAVA the first St. Louis location, but the more recent St. Louis Magazine report says it is the metro area's second, after Cottleville.
Sourdough & Co is owned by the Mitchell Family Group. The menu includes sourdough sandwiches, customizable bowls, salads and pita wraps, along with house dips and sauces such as harissa, red pepper hummus and tzatziki. The restaurant also caters. The chain is expanding across the region. The same tracker lists another location coming to 12589 Olive in October and one at 3732 New Town in St. Charles this fall.
The address is close to the park. 12340 Manchester is a few numbers down from Des Peres Park at 12352 Manchester, so both new restaurants are a short walk from Saturday's Pumpkin Glow.
The former Porano space is getting another pasta restaurant
West of I-270, the Trader Joe's-anchored shopping center at 13323 Manchester has a 3,400-square-foot restaurant space. St. Louis Magazine reported in May that Porano, the Niche Food Group concept from Gerard Craft, closed there in March after nearly two years. Sauci Pasta signed for the space and plans to open its second location there this fall. The magazine calls Sauci the metro area's only fast-casual fresh pasta and salad concept.
The October tracker still lists Sauci Pasta under "coming soon," with "fall" as the only timing. No later report gives a specific date.
Toastique is the one opening without a current date
The fourth restaurant approved at that aldermen's meeting is Toastique, planned for 1090 Ballas Road in the former Jimmy John's. Owner Aija Haizel, who has a background in health care, described a menu of avocado toast, smoothie bowls, iced collagen lattes and wellness shots, built around organic food. The Webster-Kirkwood Times listed Toastique, CAVA and Sourdough & Co with the same "this summer" target.
Two of those three have opened. For Toastique, none of the sources reviewed in early October confirmed an opening or gave a new date, so it remains announced but not open.
| Address | Previous tenant | New tenant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12340 Manchester Road | First Community Credit Union branch | CAVA; Sourdough & Co | Opened September 17 and 20 |
| 13323 Manchester Road | Porano | Sauci Pasta | Expected fall 2026 |
| 1090 Ballas Road | Jimmy John's | Toastique | Announced; no confirmed date |
| 17-A West County Center | McCormick & Schmick's | The Cheesecake Factory | Target November 10 |
Des Peres Park's fall events are on the same stretch of Manchester
The city's own fall events take place at Des Peres Park, a few doors from the new restaurants. According to the city's October 1 Parks & Recreation Commission minutes, Fall Fest & Pumpkin Glow is on Saturday, October 10. The evening includes live music, food trucks, hayrides, inflatables and a glow-in-the-dark foam party.
St. Louis Magazine's Halloween guide lists the Pumpkin Glow from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at 12352 Manchester Road. Jack-o'-lanterns are set out on the pond, and there are s'mores. Kid's Night In follows on October 23.
The same October 1 meeting covered the park's future. The commission accepted a conceptual 10-year master plan for Des Peres Park and kept the planning process going. The minutes say the concepts are not final construction plans. The park is planning on a much longer timeline than the commercial spaces nearby.
The Des Peres calendar through November
- October 9–11: L'Occitane grand-opening weekend, West County Center, Level 2, Space 2215.
- October 10, 5:30–7:30 p.m.: Fall Fest & Pumpkin Glow, Des Peres Park, 12352 Manchester Road.
- October 23: Kid's Night In, City of Des Peres.
- November 10, target: The Cheesecake Factory, 17-A West County Center, Restaurant Village.
- Fall, no date set: Sauci Pasta, 13323 Manchester Road.
- Announced, no current date: Toastique, 1090 Ballas Road.
CAVA and Sourdough & Co are already open at 12340 Manchester. Urban Outfitters and POP MART are open at the mall. Every other item on this list is a target date set by a company or the city.
When a store relocates or a restaurant takes over a space, it changes how a corridor works long before it changes a map. Aimee Simpson has followed the Manchester Road and Ballas Road corridors through decades of new tenants and is glad to talk through what these changes mean for a home nearby. Work With Aimee.
