SAN FRANCISCO — A majority of U.S. restaurants and cafés that closed their doors in response to the COVID-19 pandemic will remain closed for good, according to crowd-source review giant Yelp. In its September economic impact report, the San Francisco-based firm tallied 32,109 restaurants that were open and operating on March 1 were closed on Aug. 31. Of that total, 19,590 (61 percent) indicated they were permanently closed. Yelp tracks business closures via business owners marking their business as closed, including by changing their hours or through a COVID-19 banner on its Yelp page. The tech firm concedes that closure counts are likely an estimate as businesses not included in the report include those that remain open with curtailed hours and staffing, or because they have not yet updated their Yelp business pages to reflect closures. Yelp only counts closures that have been vetted by its User Ops team or have been updated directly by a business owner. According to Yelp’s findings, breakfast and brunch restaurants, burger joints, sandwich shops, dessert places and Mexican restaurants are among the types of restaurants with the highest rate of business closures. Restaurants that work well for delivery and takeout — such as pizza …
LOUISVILLE, KY. — Papa John’s International Inc. has announced it will open a new global headquarters in metro Atlanta by summer 2021. The Louisville, Ky.-based pizza chain is in the process of picking an office space and expects to have a location finalized by the end of this year. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s office says the move is expected to bring 200 jobs to the area. Papa John’s will move its menu innovation; marketing; customer experience; human resources; diversity, equity and inclusion; communications; and development departments to Georgia. IT, supply chain and legal teams will remain in Louisville. The Louisville Courier-Journal reports that Papa John’s will keep its corporate headquarters in Louisville as well as a majority of its 750 jobs in Kentucky.
MIAMI — Toronto-based H&R REIT and Coral Gables, Fla.-based Urban-X Group have welcomed the first tenants to open at River Landing Shops & Residences in Miami, the first phase of the $452 million River Landing mixed-use development. The first tenants opening beginning this week include Hobby Lobby, Burlington, Publix, Five Below, Chase Bank and AT&T. Ross Dress for Less and Planet Fitness will open later this fall, and in the coming months T.J. Maxx, Old Navy, Ficelles Bakery, Chick-fil-A and others will open their doors. According to Urban-X, 70 percent of River Landing’s retail space is committed. The developer plans to announce new tenants coming to River Landing in the near future. Situated on 8.1 acres along the Miami River, River Landing will span 2.2 million square feet upon completion and feature a 135,000-square-foot office tower, 528 upscale apartments, a riverwalk, green spaces, boat docks and more retail and restaurant space. Lantower Residential, a subsidiary of H&R REIT, will operate and lease the apartments. The operator will welcome move-ins beginning next month. Urban-X is currently negotiating with several restaurants looking to open a waterfront location in 2021 and is implementing curbside pick-up spaces for River Landing’s retail tenants to meet customer …
OVERLAND PARK, KAN. — Two investment groups headed by Block & Co. Inc. Realtors have acquired a 1,434-square-foot property net leased to Sonic in Overland Park for an undisclosed price. The restaurant sits on .8 acres at 10701 Roe Ave. Block & Co. will manage the property. David Block and Max Kosoglad of Block & Co. represented the buyers. Micah Feingold Commercial Real Estate represented the seller.
DES PLAINES, ILL. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the sale of a 1,914-square-foot property occupied by Starbucks in Des Plaines for $1.6 million. The net-leased asset is located at 1427 Lee St. next to Aldi. Starbucks has seven years remaining on its lease. Austin Weisenbeck and Sean Sharko of Marcus & Millichap marketed the building on behalf of the seller, a limited liability company. A local investor purchased the property.
EAST PEORIA, ILL. — Hanley Investment Group Real Estate Advisors has brokered the $3.5 million sale of a newly constructed retail property occupied by Panera Bread in East Peoria, about 70 miles north of Springfield. The 4,380-square-foot, drive-thru location is situated within a 650,000-square-foot mixed-use development known as The Levee District. Jeff Lefko and Bill Asher of Hanley represented the seller, Cullinan Properties Ltd. David Rush of CBRE represented the buyer, a Santa Barbara, Calif.-based private investor.
CARSON, CALIF. — Plenitude Holdings, a real estate investment partnership between Blanchard Entities and Shopoff Realty Investments affiliated entities, is developing The Creek at Dominguez Hills in Carson. Located off the 405 Freeway and north of East Del Amo Boulevard, the 87-acre development will offer more than 500,000-square-feet of retail, recreation and sports wellness space. In addition to retail, the project will feature a 199,000-square-foot, multi-use indoor sports complex designed to accommodate basketball and volleyball practice and team competitions, along with indoor turf training areas and a mezzanine level for viewing the courts below. The facility will be accessible to local sports groups, and open for daily community use and fitness programming. Additionally, The Creek at Dominguez Hill will offer more than eight acres of open space, including a three-kilometer jogging path, a 6.6-acre community park, a zipline and ropes course, and a clubhouse featuring a rooftop deck suitable for community and special events. Plenitude Holdings is finalizing the development plans and expects to break ground in mid-2021. The company has retained Sports Facilities Management to manage the property and partnered with FlyingTee, an active entertainment, golf and dining company, for their first location in California. FlyingTee will offer private …
GRAND PRAIRIE, TEXAS — Chicken N Pickle, an entertainment concept that pairs the food and drink of a chef-driven restaurant with pickleball and other games, will open a restaurant and entertainment venue in the central metroplex city of Grand Prairie. The venue, which is scheduled to open in 2021, will feature indoor and outdoor pickleball courts, lawn games, a rooftop bar and a full-service restaurant. Chicken N Pickle Grand Prairie will also offer clinics for players of all experience levels, as well as professional and amateur tournaments. The company is pursuing a joint venture with the City of Grand Prairie wherein the city will own the land, develop parking needs and lease to Chicken N Pickle for this use. Chicken N Pickle opened its flagship venue in Kansas City in 2017 and also brought its concept to San Antonio earlier this year.
GLENDALE, ARIZ. — Orion Investment Real Estate has arranged the sale of a retail building located at the intersection of West Peoria and North 43rd avenues in Glendale. An affiliate of DeRito Partners sold the property to a Santa Clara, Calif.-based buyer for $3.8 million, or $387.72 per square foot. Originally constructed in 1987 as a single-tenant restaurant property, the 9,801-square-foot building is now a multi-tenant property. At the time of sale, the property was 89 percent occupied by Denny’s, Subway and Alta Dental. The asset is an outparcel to Glendale Towne Center, which Target anchors. Ari Spiro and Sean Stutzman of Orion Investment represented the seller, while Joel Owens of Canton, Ga.-based All World Realty represented the buyer in the deal. The new owner has retained DeRito Partners for both leasing and property management
CHICAGO — Navy Pier, a mixed-use destination on Chicago’s lakefront, will start a temporary pier-wide closure on Tuesday, Sept. 8, in an effort to limit the financial burden and impact of the continued coronavirus pandemic on the organization. The closure will stop all operations, including those of Navy Pier’s more than 70 small businesses. Access to the pier’s outdoor space, including Polk Bros Park and North and South Docks, will also be limited or prohibited during the closure. “While this was a very difficult decision for the organization, it was a necessary one to proactively ensure the long-term success of one of Chicago’s most treasured and important civic institutions and the communities it serves,” says Marilynn Gardner, president and CEO of Navy Pier. Per state and city orders, Navy Pier originally closed to the public from March 16 to June 10 and then began a phased reopening with appropriate safety and security measures. Through the reopening, Navy Pier was able to resume partial operations and welcome guests to the pier. However, the destination experienced less than 20 percent of its typical summer attendance. To date, the Centennial Wheel, Chicago Children’s Museum, Chicago Shakespeare Theater and additional Pier Park attractions have …