It took a long time for Beverly Center to fill a sprawling vacancy that Hard Rock Cafe left. How long? Almost four years.

But the mall believes it found the type of tenant the space wants: Capital Grille, which caters to people who drop $96 for a platter of shellfish and rent a personal wine locker for $350 a year.

“It was more challenging in this market than it would have normally been,” said Jefferson Brown, general manager at the Beverly Center, which is owned by Bloomfield Hills, Mich., mall owner and operator Taubman Centers Inc. “But our persistence and patience paid off and ultimately we struck a deal that’s the right thing for the center.”

Capital Grille, operated by Orlando, Fla.-based Darden Restaurants Inc., began scouting sites for its first L.A.-area restaurant a few years ago. Restaurant executives ultimately chose the Beverly Center location because the huge mall draws local shoppers and tourists.

“It’s a highly visible location right there on San Vicente Boulevard and the mall itself is such a destination,” said Mike Bernstein, a spokesman for Capital Grille. Gina Doyle is general manager for the location.

The mall’s Capital Grille has been under construction since winter 2009, when the two-level, 13,000-square-foot space once filled with rock ’n’ roll memorabilia was gutted to make way for two bars and four private dining rooms outfitted with satellite video broadcasting for business meetings. The restaurant added a 100-seat patio area to the second level overlooking San Vicente.

However, the restaurant’s main entrance is on the street level, where valet service will be offered, and isn’t accessible from inside the mall. One industry expert said that could make it challenging for the restaurant to drive traffic.

“They have to make sure the day they open that everything is easy, streamlined and simplified,” said James Sinclair, founder of L.A. hospitality consultancy OnSite Consulting. “People won’t give it a second chance otherwise.”