Changes are on the way at the Battlefield Mall in Springfield. In a day and age where brick and mortar stores are struggling, the mall says fortunately, they draw a large, rural crowd from all over Southwest Missouri.

Construction started Tuesday on what will be a renovated food court.

Mall managers say that is the busiest entrance at the mall, and they want to keep people coming.

“The closest thing we have to a mall is like Walmart or something else like that,” said Dustin Shumake. He was at the Battlefield Mall with his family from Lamar. He says it’s a favorite destination for many in rural Missouri, and a one-stop-shop worth traveling to.

With 150 tenants at the mall and new ones coming in– plus being the only climate-controlled mall in this region outside of Joplin– the mall said a food court upgrade was in order.  “It’s going to include more soft seating, more tables that have charging stations in them, and along the retailer’s side, we’re going to have bar seating that overlooks the food court,” said Battlefield Mall’s marketing director Amanda Estes.

The upgrades will take the 420 seats– up to 600 with the renovation. It should be finished in the Spring.

Original Article

By Sara Forhetz

KY3 News – Springfield, MO