So much for the grand plan to open a GameWorks “esports lounge” at Westfield Montgomery mall. It’s been a year since the company leased the space across from Cheesecake Factory, where it planned to offer a mix of live-stream games, virtual reality and old-school arcade favorites. But the pandemic raged on, social gatherings remained iffy, construction never got underway, and GameWorks just announced that it’s closing all locations. Meanwhile, on the other side of Cheesecake Factory, the mall finally took down the massive sign for Peking Duck. Announced two years ago as a replacement for Crave, that place isn’t going to happen either. So what restaurants are still supposed to open at the mall in 2022? Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, now under construction in the onetime Bobby’s Burger space (more on that here) and Butter Me Up , which is supposed to replace Aroma (more on that next week).
