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FeaturesHeartland Feature ArchiveRestaurantRetail

Retail, Restaurant Industries Embrace Post-Pandemic Design Shifts

by Kristin Harlow

By Kristin Hiller As the nation emerges on the other side of the pandemic, the retail and restaurant industries are tasked with adapting their store designs and business models to match consumer behavioral shifts. Shoppers and diners alike want to make purchases easily with multiple options for ordering and pickup.    Border Foods, one of the largest privately held Taco Bell franchisees in America, enlisted the services of Minneapolis-based design consultancy Vertical Works Inc. in 2020 to create a new restaurant design. The result was Defy, a two-story concept with four drive-thru lanes situated below the restaurant kitchen. The 3,000-square-foot restaurant, which is located in the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park, recently opened. Josh Hanson, founder and CEO at Vertical Works and WORKSHOP, says his team set out to reimagine the drive-thru experience and create a concept that would solve many of the issues related to traditional drive-thrus.  “By elevating kitchens and operations and adding multiple drive-thru lanes underneath, the Defy concept is able to increase efficiency and profitability within the same footprint and at the same cost as a traditional drive-thru,” he states.  Defy customers will be able to place orders online via the Taco Bell app or traditionally …

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Leasing ActivityMidwestRestaurantRetailWisconsin

Social Cantina to Open 4,800 SF Restaurant at The Mill at Ironworks Plaza in Wisconsin

by Kristin Harlow

MISHAWAKA, WIS. — Social Cantina will open a 4,800-square-foot restaurant at The Mill at Ironworks Plaza, an apartment complex in downtown Mishawaka. The Mexican restaurant serves tequilas, fresh margaritas, craft beer and classic Mexican dishes. Finney Hospitality Group owns the restaurant brand. The Mill at Ironworks Plaza, completed in 2019, features 232 luxury apartment units with 13,000 square feet of retail space. Earlier this year, Sun King unveiled plans to open a 6,700-square-foot tap room at the property. Flaherty & Collins Properties, the property owner, is finalizing plans on a second phase that will bring an additional 230 luxury apartment units and riverfront retail space. Construction on Phase II is expected to begin in spring 2023.

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IllinoisLeasing ActivityMidwestRestaurantRetail

Cinergy Dine-In Cinemas to Open at Former CMX Location at Wheeling Town Center in Suburban Chicago

by Kristin Harlow

WHEELING, ILL. — Cinergy Dine-In Cinemas is slated to open in July at the former CMX CinéBistro location at Wheeling Town Center in the Chicago suburb of Wheeling. The 40,000-square-foot, seven-screen theater will offer a dine-in theater experience. Wheeling Town Center, developed by The Lynmark Group, is now fully leased. This is the ninth location nationwide for Cinergy, which is operated by Dallas-based Cinergy Entertainment Group Inc. Other tenants at Wheeling Town Center include 312 Nails, Artic Spoon, AT&T, City Works, Inland Bank, Meat & Potato Urban Kitchen, Mia’s Cantina, Starbucks and The Learning Experience.

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Leasing ActivityNew JerseyNortheastRestaurantRetail

Triple Five Group to Open 10,000 SF Food Hall at American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey

by Taylor Williams

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Triple Five Group, the owner of the 3 million-square-foot American Dream shopping, dining and entertainment destination in Northern New Jersey, will soon open a 10,000-square-foot food hall. The food hall will feature seven concepts, including Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, Best Pizza and Vanessa’s Dumpling House, as well as wine bar Vinoteca and confectionary Lady M. The space will include seating and game areas and will be located near the live music and performance stage. A grand opening with a cornhole tournament, kids’ game and live music will take place on Wednesday, July, 13.

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AcquisitionsDevelopmentGeorgiaRestaurantRetailSoutheast

Marcus & Millichap Arranges $2.4M Sale of Chick-fil-A Ground Lease in Metro Savannah

by John Nelson

POOLER, GA. — Marcus & Millichap has arranged the $2.4 million sale of a Chick-fil-A ground lease located at 2100 Pooler Parkway in Pooler, about 12 miles west of Savannah’s downtown historic district. The 5,181-square-foot restaurant is currently underway on a 1.5-acre site, and Chick-fil-A has 15 years remaining on its lease. An out-of-state, privately held investor purchased the ground lease in an all-cash transaction at a 3.45 percent cap rate. The seller was not disclosed. Don McMinn and Brian Munn of Marcus & Millichap brokered the transaction. “This property was sold pre-construction eight months out from delivery,” says McMinn. “[The transaction] demonstrates the strong demand and aggressive pricing for quality net-lease assets.”

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Leasing ActivityNew HampshireNortheastRestaurantRetail

Tuscan Brands Welcomes New Tenants to Flagship Destination in Salem, New Hampshire

by Taylor Williams

SALEM, N.H. — Tuscan Brands has welcomed new tenants to Tuscan Village, its 170-acre flagship shopping, dining and entertainment destination located north of Boston in Salem, New Hampshire. Nike (15,000 square feet) and Chick-fil-A (5,000 square feet) both recently opened, and Mass General Brigham will open a primary and specialty care medical facility later this summer. The Container Store will launch a 15,000-square-foot store this winter. Other tenants that have committed to Tuscan Village include T-Mobile, Xfinity, Crumbl Cookies, Banfield Pet Hospital, LensCrafters and Bennett’s Sandwich Shop.

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IllinoisLeasing ActivityMidwestRestaurantRetail

Blue Bottle Coffee to Open at Shops at Tribune Tower in Chicago

by Kristin Harlow

CHICAGO — Blue Bottle Coffee has signed a long-term lease to open a 1,188-square-foot retail space at The Shops at Tribune Tower in Chicago. Founded in 2002, Blue Bottle Coffee is a coffee roaster and retailer with more than 60 cafes globally. The Shops at Tribune Tower location will be Blue Bottle’s second in the Chicago area. The shop is expected to open in early 2023. Blue Bottle’s location is directly adjacent to the newly opened Foxtrot Market and the upcoming Museum of Ice Cream, which is scheduled to open July 16. The Shops at Tribune Tower consists of 50,000 square feet of retail space that anchors the ground floor of the 36-story, 740,000-square-foot Tribune Tower, which has been transformed into 162 luxury condominiums. CIM Group owns the property.

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AcquisitionsDistrict of ColumbiaRestaurantRetailSoutheast

SRS Brokers Sales of Two Retail Properties in D.C. Totaling $9.2M

by John Nelson

WASHINGTON, D.C. — SRS Real Estate Partners has brokered the sale of two urban retail properties in Washington, D.C., totaling $9.2 million. The properties include 2321 18th St. NW in the city’s Adams Morgan submarket and 1519 Wisconsin Ave. in the Georgetown district. Built in 1910 and renovated in 2020, the Adams Morgan property houses a single tenant (Ironworks Inc.) that operates three Asian fusion restaurants — Death Punch Bar, Shabu Plus and Shibuya — and has 10 years remaining on its lease. An unnamed private investor purchased the 4,500-square-foot property from a locally based developer for $3.5 million. Andrew Fallon and Rick Fernandez of SRS represented the seller in the transaction. The Georgetown property houses three retailers (a salon, nail parlor and mobile device repair shop) that are on triple-net leases. A local investor purchased the asset for $5.7 million in a 1031 exchange. Fallon and Fernandez represented the seller, a locally based, privately held investor and developer.

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AcquisitionsMidwestMinnesotaRestaurantRetail

NAI Legacy Arranges $3.4M Sale of Raising Cane’s Ground Lease in Maplewood, Minnesota

by Kristin Harlow

MAPLEWOOD, MINN. — NAI Legacy has arranged the sale of a Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers ground lease in Maplewood near Minneapolis for $3.4 million. The ground lease for the newly constructed, single-tenant property is for 15 years. The building is located at 3065 White Bear Ave. Michael Houge of NAI Legacy represented the undisclosed seller, while Ken Tsukahara of Colliers represented the California-based buyer. Raising Cane’s operates more than 600 restaurants across the U.S.

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AcquisitionsMassachusettsNortheastRestaurantRetail

Tishman Speyer Sells Retail Condo in Boston’s Seaport District for $12M

by Taylor Williams

BOSTON — New York City-based real estate giant Tishman Speyer has sold Pier 4 Retail, a 16,134-square-foot retail condo in Boston’s Seaport District for $12 million. Built in 2019, the property was fully leased to two restaurant concepts at the time of sale. Chris Angelone, Nat Heald, Kellie Coveney and Zach Nitsche of JLL represented Tishman Speyer in the transaction. The buyer was not disclosed.

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