A new take-out spot looks ready to claim a long-empty storefront on Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade. Public notices taped to the glass at 1403 Third Street identify a food-and-beverage tenant called ViviBowl and describe the business as take-out only. The space has sat vacant since Wetzel’s Pretzels shut down, and it sits one door away from a Raising Cane’s that is expected to open later this year. City permitting records have not yet been published, and no operator has gone public with any announcement.
Public notices name 'Vivibowl' as the incoming takeout
Notices posted inside the windows at 1403 Third Street list “Vivibowl” as the incoming food-and-beverage tenant and specify a take-out format, as reported by the Santa Monica Mirror. According to the outlet, the documents are visible from the sidewalk in the ground-floor unit, and city permitting records were not immediately available.
Who Is ViviBowl?
ViviBowl appears to be a branded bowl-and-takeout concept rather than a one-off experiment. The VIVIBOWL ordering app lists “VIVIBOWL RESTAURANT HOLDINGS INC.” as the seller on Apple's App Store, which indicates the name is in use beyond a single pop-up location. Business filings also show that a ViviBowl holding company was incorporated in California in January 2025, suggesting the brand is set up for expansion, according to B2BHint.
Promenade context
The 1403 unit sits next to 1401 Third Street, where Raising Cane’s has been recorded as under construction with a planned summer 2026 opening, according to Third Street Promenade Occupancy. At the same time, the city has loosened rules to allow more limited-service and take-out restaurants downtown as part of a broader push to refill empty storefronts, Santa Monica Next reports. Those policy shifts help explain why national and regional chains have been lining up for Promenade space in recent months.
Previous tenant and permits
The 1403 address previously housed Wetzel’s Pretzels, according to Visit Santa Monica. City permitting records for a new tenant were not immediately available, as reported by Santa Monica Mirror, and the City of Santa Monica’s Building Permits and Plan Review page lays out the plan review process and required inspections that any new commercial tenant would need to complete before opening. For now, the posted notices are the clearest public sign that a lease or tenant move is in motion.
If ViviBowl follows through, the take-out concept would be another sign of gradual turnover on the Promenade as the city courts a mix of national chains and local operators. This story will be updated when permits or a formal announcement confirm the tenant and an opening timeline.
