Hawthorn Mall 2.0 Update - Abandoned Food Court?

As development continues on the outside for Hawthorn 2.0, food vendors disappear on the inside, leading to an almost abandoned food court at Hawthorn Mall in Vernon Hills, Illinois.
After discussing this on a Community Post awhile ago, someone stated that they are expanding the Dave & Busters into the food court area. Already taking up a fairly big footprint, it is possible they have to move Dave & Busters to accommodate the development on the outside. I've not run across any master plan yet, and Hawthorn's web site still show the two remaining food vendors. Based on the signage when you walk in, food vendors may be moving to the hall close to the movie theater? And side note, since the filming of this video, yes I am aware that Sbarro at Spring Hill has closed down. Please comment below if you know what's going on with the food court. Although I never did a lot of shopping here, I did frequently eat lunch, especially when I lived in Lake Zurich. And the food court was always packed! Seeing its current state saddens me greatly and makes it hard for me to visit. But I will do another walk through in the spring, as "Hawthorn 2.0" should in theory be complete sometime in 2024.
My Final Hawthorn Mall 2.0 Update? - Inside & Macy's Toys "R" Us - June 2024:
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My Final Hawthorn Mall 2.0 Update? - Outside - June 2024:
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Shopping Day - Hawthorn Mall and Barnes & Noble, Vernon Hills:
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[@Kįm-d3v]

I worked security here back when the idea was announced, I've since moved to Florida and have been curious of the progress. Thankyou for producing this. I like the vibe you have going for your videos.

[@memoriesbywayne]

Thank you very much. I appreciate it. Have to admit security has been pretty chill here compared to other malls I've been to. Definitely stay tuned as there will be a follow up video. Definitely a lot more going on around the outside then I expected.

[@starmsjc]

Sadly I moved to FL as well…but miss Chicago and its suburbs

[@cuddlesthetiger-mallsnmore]

13:43 "Stop taking away the food court, people" I agree so much. The food court was always my favorite place to go in the mall. Even in later years, if I don't buy anything else from the mall, I at least get something from the food court. Even if it's a soda. I also wished they would build more affordable housing instead of these all-out higher end places. But I guess that's asking too much. Loved the video, hope all is well, man!

[@memoriesbywayne]

Yep. So sad to see the food courts gradually go away. Hawthorn didn't have a ton of stores I liked. But a food court is just a fun place for a quick bite. But, as I've been corrected on here, some nice, some not so nice. It appears they will be moving the food court to a former anchor I guess. Very interesting. I want to see this through my own two eyes. This mall will be an ongoing series on this channel. And I will returning in the spring to see the progress and discuss some of the comments that have been made here lol. Vernon Hills and this area is very upper middle class. Property tax is outrageous. And rent I can't even imagine. Especially in this economy. Actually I can just by looking it up. Studio apt starts at $1600. 1 bed $1800. And goes up from there. But actually for the convenience of everything that is not too unreasonable considering single family homes can easily rent over $2k.

[@MetalPete_the_metalfan]

Just as empty of food court as Brookfield Square's is up here in Brookfield of Milwaukee area Wisconsin.

[@memoriesbywayne]

@MetalPete_the_metalfan oh yeah, I filmed there a couple years ago. And went back recently. Video should be out soon. But the food court is looking really sad!

[@user-zx8de8op9l]

It opened in 1973, I have been going there since about 1983 or so. The original food court decor resembled a giant disco ball of tiny mirrors and the seating area was a maze, not open as you see it today.

[@memoriesbywayne]

Yep. 50th anniversary. Now in year 51. Pretty neat. Imagine the area was a lot more rural in 73. Surprised they developed a mall that early out there.

[@Cal3000]

I jumped in here thinking this was the Hawthorne Mall in California. I was like, "dang, when did they build those nice apartment blocks" lol

[@memoriesbywayne]

Sorry for the confusion. Ours doesn't have the E I guess lol. Next time I'm in Cali I'll be sure to vlog that one. :-)

[@regisgaming]

I went to Hawthorn all the time when I was a kid with my parents. They used to have a giant play castle that kids could run around inside of. That's so disheartening to see that the place is just becoming a giant empty soulless shell. The place has really gone down hill since Macy's took the place over.

[@memoriesbywayne]

Sounds awesome! I just did another update vlog here and it does look like they are actually planning on updating the indoor food court. So that is some positive news.

[@maxburton87]

The castle was the best!

[@memoriesbywayne]

@@maxburton87 I really need to find some pictures of this castle now! :-)

[@maxburton87]

@@memoriesbywayne Look up “Hawthorn Mall Castle” and it should be one of the first things to pop up! :-)

[@regisgaming]

@@memoriesbywayne I remember it was fairly large - it had at least 2 levels. The castle also had a nice long slide going down it too. I can still remember my parents having to essentially use a crowbar to pry me out of that place haha.

[@maxburton87]

They are clearing out the food court and sears wing to build a larger dave and busters. I spoke with the owner of the charleys and he confirmed that they were getting moved to a different part of the mall.

[@memoriesbywayne]

Thanks for the info Max! Maybe it was you, someone mentioned speaking to Charley's. I'm glad they have another place to go to. Charley's was always my go to there. Chicken Philly sandwich. They were always very nice and prices reasonable. Going to take awhile. But sounds like they got some good plans for the future. :-)

[@stevenhickey326]

Hawthorn Mall in Vernon Hills IL?

[@memoriesbywayne]

Yes. That is correct. Going to be doing another update video soon as well. Learned a bit more about the renovation plan since I filmed this.

[@robstravelsadventures]

Seems like the indoor food court knows they will not be a be able to complete with the outdoor restaurants, so they all closed up. Thr new putdoor area looks nice, but without any tenants is also a ghost toen like the i door mall. Mellody Farms was 75% leased when the opened, so when people when to check it out there was something to see. Even in your video there were only a handful of people inside the mall and none in the new outside area.

[@memoriesbywayne]

This mall is becoming really confusing for sure. When all this began, they said the interior was going to be a key part of the redevelopment. And it was going to stay. They redid everything around the center court. Hawthorn 2.0 has been coming since at least 2020. Then everything happened around the world. I don't know either how this would be complete in 2024. They are still working on the infrastructure of those buildings as you saw. And best I can tell now looking at the official master plan on VH's web site, they have a whole other Phase 2 mixed use area planned closer to Townline Rd. that would basically be beyond the fencing that I showed in the video. So more over priced apartments. More over priced restaurants. Already over saturated between Mellody Farms and the rest of the intersection. Green space looks nice but I don't see them putting a McD, Charley's, or Sbarro in those buildings outside. And still can't really wrap my head around how the food court would be affected by the outdoor development or Dave & Busters.

[@landontk7696]

It’s because they are carefully curating this development. I need you to listen here for the rundown. The food court wasn’t abandoned, Hawthorn kicked them out because they are MOVING the food court to become the upper part of the JCPenney court, along those walls with the food court renderings you did not look at for some reason, which there will be carefully curated food court tenants are planned. Food court and the Sears area are becoming D&B, the outdoor already has tenants coming, Anthropologie, FP (Free People) Movement, LoveSac, and more tenants along with dining, please be patient as they get this huge transformation ready. More tenants also opened in the mall in the past few weeks. Carsons wing which is walled off because that’s becoming more of the redevelopment. The rest of the current mall is staying. Get excited!

[@memoriesbywayne]

@illinoismallexploring4419 thank you for the update. I feel the tone of your comment you had concern about my video. But I did the best I could to call it as I saw it at the time. I've tried to remain as spoiler free as I can. Since the filming of the video I've at least looked at the master plan on VH's site. But you provided a lot more insight than I would have been able to tell otherwise. But seeing the trend to get rid of food courts. Look at Spring Hill and Stratford. I think my concern was warranted at the time. And hey, Abandoned and Mall are always good keywords for a video lol. That said it does sound like some exciting plans for the future and I look forward to covering it for years to come.

[@landontk7696]

@@memoriesbywayneIt’s exciting. They did great foot traffic inside the mall this year and community events, that said, I definitely encourage you to start documenting Northbrook Court, as it’s court state is undefined. Here’s some information- They do have a new redevelopment plan, but nothing is official, so I wouldn’t share it, the only thing that is definitive is that Phase 1 is going to keep the current mall structure, and the parking lot of the upper level Neiman Marcus and mall entrance is going to become an entire outdoor-luxury shopping district, with shops, dining, and lots of greenery. They have been discussing if they want to demolish the mall or not, but currently, it will not be going anywhere, and definitely staying for Phase 1. Inside of the mall- more shops continue to close, with Athleta closing on the 28th. According to a guard I talked to, we might finally be getting our first store in 1.2 years, which is exciting. Our food court only consists of 4 spaces, and only 1 is occupied now, but there are other dining options around the mall. We still have the good stores left, but with the rapid closures the future is undefined. So I definitely recommend visiting and documenting its progress in the next couple of months- Phase 1 is projected to start in the summer, but they have been completely silent about any further updates. Also regarding foot traffic- the mall gets packed on cold Saturday weekends. If you go on Monday at 6pm, it’s not going to be as busy.

[@Robin-v9u5q]

What camera do you use?

[@memoriesbywayne]

To date been just using whatever phone I have at the time. Currently Samsung S23. Something more professional could come down the road. More likely I will add a GoPro to the existing phone shots. But I have more important expenses to take care of. And not making money off this channel yet to justify the fancier equipment.

[@Gabekesler6934]

Im here right now and theres barely any people.

[@memoriesbywayne]

Thanks for the update. I'll be back soon to do probably my last "Hawthorn 2.0" update vlog.

[@fen9092]

When you do not know the actual plans of the mall and whats going on, I find it unfair to make a video like this. You make it seem very negative and like it was just a ghost town that was forgotten like spring hill. There is a great amount of traffic here still. And not more of the mall is getting chopped off. The Dave and Busters entrance is being renovated. You also can absolutely enter the Dave and Busters entrance. Just walk around that construction fence toward the parking lot. That ‘coming soon’ is for the updated entrance that will be coming. Considering you posted this now and it was filmed so long ago, do you think that’s fair? Although, now that I’m realizing, I think you’ve combined summer video clips with more recent clips when the construction area opened up more. As for the Mellody Farms comment by another commentor saying it was 75% leased when it opened…how do you know what had been leased and what hasn’t? The only time retailers release a for sure is when they have official works in the way. They is a lot more to retail real estate than just signing a lease. And the key words that you mentioned were ‘when it opened,’ and Hawthorn Row is not open. So why the criticism? Have you seen any of the retailers coming so far?

[@memoriesbywayne]

I do appreciate your comments and input. While I do aim be as factual as possible, yes I have not done extensive research on Hawthorn 2.0. And even now looking over VH's page and I guess the official page. I see renderings that are hard to view in detail, before and after pics of the center court and Hawthorn Row. I still don't see any info about a food court in JC Penneys or whatever. If there is some extensive PDF somewhere, I didn't read that. I never read the 70 something page proposal West Dundee put together for Spring Hill either lol. I've done many mall videos, including several here, and the intention is not to put some official documentary out there. I don't do voice over with the history. That's not my style. There's great channels like Lost Departments that cover that. Malls is but a small topic that I do here. Unfair? Maybe. That's why there's a question mark in the title. I never did state it was a definite thing. But it was concerning to me in 2022 visiting a packed food court with my kids and then visiting it today to see its current state. I have some history and attachment to this food court. So I think I have a right to react with some concern. Like I said I'm not a documentarian. I visit a mall, walk around, see what's changed, check out a few shops, maybe eat some food. And that's it. I never try to portray anything as a dead mall. I don't think I did that here. I just walk around and maybe some thoughts on the traffic. Never thought I've ever called Hawthorn a dead mall. Far as Hawthorn Row, again I'm just here to check it and react to its current state. I know stuff will go in. Most of the buildings were still under construction. But me stating what shops are going where is not really my thing. Honestly don't care too much cause I likely can't afford to shop or eat at any of them lol. And everything was filmed in September 2023. Like I told the other dude, I'll be back in the spring. Probably the summer too. I'll take the info you all provided, continue to dig over the site, and provide whatever updated info I can. Hope you stick around for that, otherwise thank you for the input. Negative or positive it does give me stuff to think about and improve upon.

[@fen9092]

@@memoriesbywayne I never mentioned you were making a documentary. It is quite clearly a video review. However, as I mentioned, making accusations or questioning processes while something is in development is a little premature. Establishments do not need to list out details of their plans for all to see, that would take the excitement out of the process. Calling Hawthorn a dead mall while filming in September when all the kids have returned to school and back to school shopping is done does not equate to a dead mall. I watched a little bit of your other videos as well and something I am gathering is a lack of positive outlook and inaccuracy of what’s going on locally to form opinion.

[@rageofheaven]

​@@fen9092 Perhaps he should have consulted with you before being allowed to form an opinion of no consequence to anyone.