Crestview Hills Town Center lost three tenants over the past couple of years. Each one is being replaced by a business that does almost the same thing. A Mexican steakhouse took over a casual chain restaurant. A golf simulator replaced a golf simulator. A Lexington steakhouse is moving into a sit-down restaurant space that has been dark since September 2024, and it's spending $5.1 million to get ready.
Anderson Real Estate, the company leasing the center, is keeping each space in the same category and changing the name on the door. If you live nearby, that means your Town Center routine stays about the same while the restaurants and venues behind it change.
Three Spaces, Three Replacements
In his February 12, 2026 State of the City address, Mayor Paul Meier said the Town Center "lost a few businesses over the past year." He added that Anderson Real Estate "has been able to replace some and add several new tenants." Here's where each of those replacements stands the week of October 22:
| Space | What was there | What's there now | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2833 Dixie Highway | Abuelo's, then Taste of Belgium | Malone's | Under renovation, planned for December 2026 |
| Former TGI Fridays, 2804 Turkeyfoot Road | TGI Fridays | Torres Mexican Steakhouse | Open, with posted daily hours |
| 2807 Town Center Boulevard | Off Par golf simulator | SGN Golf | Open 24/7 |
The two faster swaps tell you how this center usually works. The slow one shows what it takes to fill a large restaurant space when no tenant is ready to move in.
The TGI Fridays Corner Turned Over in a Season
The mayor's address said TGI Fridays closed "after the chain filed bankruptcy." Torres Mexican Steakhouse had already announced it would move in, with a target of "March or April 2026." That's one sit-down restaurant with a bar following another on the same pad, with only the menu changing.
Torres is open now at 2804 Turkeyfoot Road. Its Crestview Hills location page lists hours seven days a week, including 10:30 a.m. openings Monday through Thursday and service until 10:30 p.m. on Fridays. It also takes reservations, books parties, offers catering and posts job openings for this location. If you used to go to Fridays for a weeknight dinner or a team party, the building still does that job.
The Simulator Bays Never Changed Use
Off Par's spot went the same way. The city named SGN Golf as Off Par's replacement. SGN's Northern Kentucky page lists the Crestview Hills venue at 2807 Town Center Boulevard with nine simulator bays, open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The real change here is the hours. An indoor golf venue you can book at any time works differently from one that closes at night. That matters once the weather turns and the outdoor season in Kenton County winds down.
The Dixie Highway Space Took the Longest and Is Getting the Most Money
Malone's will be the third restaurant in the building at 2833 Dixie Highway. The Cincinnati Business Courier, in a report republished by Local12 on August 20, said it was Abuelo's Mexican restaurant first. Taste of Belgium followed and closed in September 2024 after four years. If Malone's opens in December as planned, the space will have been empty about 27 months, more than half as long as Taste of Belgium was open.
That wait came from the incoming operator's side. In a Facebook post quoted by LINK nky in April, Malone's co-founder Brian McCarty said, "This location has been a long time in the making. We've patiently waited for the right opportunity and property to expand Malone's in a way that honors the brand while delivering what our guests want." He described the company's approach as "disciplined vs. rapid growth."
The numbers back that up. LINK nky reported that Malone's, part of Lexington's Bluegrass Hospitality Group, has five locations: three in Lexington, one in Louisville and one in Chattanooga. Crestview Hills would be the sixth, and the brand's first in Greater Cincinnati. The menu covers prime steaks, fresh seafood and sushi.
The renovation is big. According to the Courier's reporting, a building permit filed with Kenton County in early August covers interior and exterior work costing $5.1 million. Spending at that level usually means rethinking the dining room, the kitchen and the outside of the building, which is why a restaurant shell can sit empty for a long time before the right tenant signs. The Courier said an exact opening date and hours had not been set. December is the plan, not a confirmed date.
The Same Pattern Runs Through the Office Park
The office park off Centre View Boulevard is changing in a similar way: buildings are being upgraded for their next use rather than torn down. In his address, Mayor Meier said Cincinnati Children's Hospital finished a multimillion-dollar renovation of its Chapel Place building in Thomas More Office Park and held a grand opening in 2025. That site is also home to the only pediatric urgent care in Northern Kentucky.
The same address said the Family Nurturing Center bought 380 Centre View Blvd. It plans to add square footage and a partial second floor, then move all of its employees to Crestview Hills. The mayor also listed new openings over the past year, including Rechin/Jacobs Orthodontics and Elite MedSpa, and said City Council approved several small businesses for a retention and rental-assistance incentive program.
Put the Town Center and the office park together, and the pattern is upgrades to existing buildings, with each owner putting in money to fit the next tenant.
What's on the Calendar From Here
The rest of the year, in order:
- Saturday, October 31. Torres lists a Halloween event at the Crestview Hills location from 11 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on its events page. For trick-or-treat, NKY Current reported on October 9 that Crestview Hills had not announced 2026 hours as of October 8, so watch the city's own channels for the time.
- Friday, December 4. The city's resident Holiday Dinner with Santa has seatings at 4:30, 5:30 and 6:30 p.m., with pictures with Santa.
- December, date to be announced. Malone's planned opening at 2833 Dixie Highway, the last of the three replacements.
When Malone's opens, every Town Center vacancy the mayor named in February will be filled, and each one with the same kind of business that left.
A $5.1 million makeover of a restaurant building that has already housed two tenants is the kind of project I pay close attention to, because I spent 15 years as an architect before I got into real estate. If you're curious how an older building gets rebuilt for its next use, or you're weighing that question for a home near the Town Center, Laura Zembrodt is glad to walk through it with you. Schedule a Consultation.
