After Several Years, Meadowbrook Mall to Have Site of Garfield's Filled with New Sit-Down Restaurant
By Jeff Toquinto on October 20, 2025
Nearly four years after Garfield’s shut down its location at Meadowbrook Mall, a new restaurant is ready to open in the same spot with some familiar names running operations.
On Friday, a lease was signed to take over the space formerly occupied by Garfield’s. The new restaurant going in will be The Weekend Bistro & Bar, a locally owned establishment.
This will give Meadowbrook Mall a sit-down, full-service restaurant inside the mall. It has not had that option since Garfield’s closed on Jan. 30, 2022.
The new restaurant is not part of a chain. However, the owners are far from newcomers when it comes to the food industry.
Steve and Eva Kaczmarek, along with their daughter Anneliese Kaczmarek, will be the owners and operators of the eatery. The family signed the lease agreement with Cafaro Company, the owners of Meadowbrook Mall, Friday.
If the name sounds familiar, it should. Currently, the family operates Kaz’s Barbeque, which is situated on Main Street in Bridgeport, just
below Twin Oaks on the opposite side of Route 50. And it should be noted that Kaz’s Barbeque is staying in place.
below Twin Oaks on the opposite side of Route 50. And it should be noted that Kaz’s Barbeque is staying in place.
Prior to that, the family operated another full-service establishment that featured a full menu and a full-service bar. They were the owners and operators of Sweet Tee’s, which was first open in the Sunny Croft Country Club before relocating to the Clarksburg Country Club for several years.
“My mother and father have always had a passion for the food service industry,” said Anneliese Kaczmarek, who spoke on behalf of her parents. “The barbeque business they enjoy. It is fast casual. What they have missed is the constant chatter, the constant people that gave a place like Sweet Tee’s that community meeting place feeling. That is what we are going to do here.”
The negotiations did not happen overnight. It has been a long, drawn-out process as Steve Kaczmarek began looking at Garfield’s space and was intrigued by multiple positives. First, he liked the location near the FBI, United Hospital Center, and the North Central West Virginia Airport. There was also the fact that it is located near Boscov’s, the massive new anchor that sees the 40-plus-year-old mall almost at capacity.
“The personnel at the mall were willing to have the hard conversations about the state of the site after it had sat vacant so long and discussing the renovations that would be necessary,” Anneliese said. “My father felt comfortable working with them, and now we’re at this point.”
The point has the family looking at a quick turnaround and opening date. Anneliese said they would like to be open before the holiday 
shopping season.
shopping season.
“Tentatively, we plan to be open before Thanksgiving. We’re aware of things that could come up in between that time and the rush that comes with Black Friday, but that is our plan,” she said.
Plenty of work needs to be done, she said, to get it in ready to serve customers. However, the guts of the business are in place, including a large kitchen.
“It needs some polishing, but what is needed is either already there or should not be a task to complete,” Anneliese said. “There are always unknowns.”
The business will operate during standard Meadowbrook Mall hours, which is seven days a week. However, there will be extended hours on weekends. There will also be a brunch menu throughout the day and a dinner style menu in the evening and a Sunday breakfast.
“We’re still working on the menu … including some favorites from Sweet Tee’s. The brunch, we believe, will be well received and the dinner menu with everything from steaks to salmon will provide the dinner crowd with what they want,” she said.
There will also be a full-service bar that will include a large beer system. Anneliese said it is perfect for a date night or someone just wanting to have a cocktail.
“The restaurant will be for families, for couples looking for an enjoyable evening, or anyone shopping who wants to sit down and have a meal or a sandwich,” Anneliese said. “We’re looking to position ourselves to be able to meet the cravings of our clients, and we want the goal for them to come back without coming to the mall necessarily to shop.”
The restaurant is also hiring staff from the kitchen to the front and back of the house. Anyone interested in applying can contact Anneliese via email at anneliesemkaczmarek@gmail.com
Editor's Note: Top photo is an architectural rendering of the new restaurant, while one of the dishes planned for the eatery is shown in the second photo and the photo below. Third photo shows Steve and Eva Kaczmarek.
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