KATY AND CYPRESS, TEXAS — Breakfast eatery The Toasted Yolk Café has opened two new restaurants in the Houston area, one at The Crossing at Katy Fulshear on the western side of town and one at Cypress Mill Village in the northwestern suburbs. Toasted Yolk Café now operates 14 restaurants in the Houston area. Paul Vernon and Campbell Vise of Henry S. Miller represented the restaurant in its site selection and lease negotiations.
MICHIGAN — With a new executive order, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has enabled Detroit casinos to reopen on Wednesday, Aug. 5 at 15 percent capacity. Casinos must also conduct a daily entry screening protocol for customers and employees. Patrons must wear a face covering except while eating and drinking. The governor has also limited statewide indoor gatherings to 10 people, citing a “resurgence in cases connected to social gatherings across the state.” Bars across the state are closed for indoor service beginning Friday, July 31. There were 89,026 confirmed coronavirus cases and 6,426 deaths in the state of Michigan as of Wednesday, July 29.
ST. CHARLES, MO. — Napoli III will join the tenant lineup at Streets of St. Charles, a 27-acre mixed-use development owned by Cullinan Properties in suburban St. Louis. Napoli III is the third restaurant from the Pietoso family and an extension of the family’s original Café Napoli. The new restaurant will occupy 4,500 square feet and feature a private room as well as outdoor dining. The menu will offer fresh seafood and pasta as well as favorites such as the veal chop and penne a la vodka. Buildout of the space for Napoli III is set to begin in August. An opening date has not yet been released.
PLAYA VISTA, CALIF. — California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) is the latest fast casual restaurant chain to file for bankruptcy protection due to strain brought on by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas on Thursday in order to “close unprofitable locations, reduce its long-term debt load and quickly emerge from bankruptcy as a much stronger company,” according to the filing. The Playa Vista-based company did not release a list detailing which of its 200 restaurants it plans to close. CPK is set to receive $46.8 million in debtor-in-possession financing, enabling the ongoing operation of its locations, continued payments to vendors and employees, and the provision of ongoing commitments to stakeholders while the company is in the Chapter 11 process. The company currently has $13 million of cash on hand and has not paid rent for the past several months at a majority of its locations, according to reports by CNN. CPK plans to exit the Chapter 11 process in under three months. “The unprecedented impact of COVID-19 on our operations certainly created additional challenges, but this agreement from our lenders demonstrates their commitment to …
SEATTLE — Seattle-based Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ: SBUX) reported that the company’s U.S. comparable store sales declined 40 percent, with comparable transactions down 52 percent through its 13-week fiscal third quarter ending June 28. Additionally, the company reported a consolidated net revenue of $4.2 billion, representing a 38 percent decline from last year primarily due to lost sales related to the COVID-19 outbreak. On the shareholder side, the company experienced a generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) loss per share of 58 cents, down from earnings per share of $1.12 in the prior year. Despite decreased sales and a decline in net revenue, Starbucks opened 130 net new stores in the third quarter, resulting in 5 percent year-over-year unit growth and ending the period with 32,180 stores globally. The company currently operates or licenses 15,243 locations in the United States. As of July 28, approximately 97 percent of Starbucks’ global company-operated stores are open, with 96 percent of U.S. locations and 99 percent of China locations open. Currently 87 percent of the company’s global licensed store portfolio is open, with temporary closures predominantly in airport, college and university locations within the United States and Canada. Starbucks’ stock price closed at $77.42 per …
CORONA, CALIF. — Hanley Investment Group has brokered the sale of two multi-tenant retail buildings located at 1240-1282 Border Ave. in Corona. A Denver-based private investment group sold the assets to a local private investor for $5.2 million. The Shops at Village Grove Plaza features a freestanding, 9,200-square-foot retail pad building occupied by six tenants and a two-tenant, 2,400-square-foot shop building adjacent to Stater Bros. Markets. Tenants at the properties offer a variety of services and products, including dental care, dry cleaning, laundry services, flowers, donuts, liquor, hair styling and nail services. Built in 1976, the assets, which total 11,600 square feet, are part of the 56,100-square-foot Village Grove Plaza that Stater Bros. Market and Crunch Fitness anchor. Kevin Fryman, Bill Asher and Jeff Lefko of Hanley Investment Group represented the seller, while Ranhee Im of ANA Capital of Los Angeles represented the buyer in the deal.
CHICAGO — McDonald’s Corp. has reported a 30 percent decrease in its consolidated revenue for the second quarter that ended June 30 due to coronavirus lockdowns. The global fast-food chain reported second-quarter net income of $483.8 million, compared with $1.5 billion for the same period a year ago. Chicago-based McDonald’s says it spent more than $200 million on marketing efforts to accelerate recovery from coronavirus losses, which contributed to the drop in net income. In the United States, 99 percent of McDonald’s restaurants were open as of June 30. About 2,000 dining rooms reopened with reduced seating capacity following temporary closures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chris Kempczinski, president and CEO, says that a strong drive-thru presence and investments in delivery and digital platforms have served the company well through this time.
(Panelists, clockwise from top left) Adam Tiktin, Tiktin Real Estate Investment Services; Rod Castan, Courtelis Company; Lyle Stern, Koniver Stern Group; Philip Rosen, Becker (moderator); Duane Stiller, Woolbright Development. Last week, Shopping Center Business and Southeast Real Estate Business hosted “South Florida Retail Outlook: What is the Impact of COVID-19 on South Florida’s Retail Sector?” Listen as a panel of retail experts discusses their gameplans: working with tenants and their employees as the industry seeks to adapt. Hear about attitudes towards loans, rent reductions, property value, next steps and more. See a list of some topics covered and their timestamps below: (07:00): How are restaurants and experiential tenants faring? (09:29) Adapting for the challenges of COVID-19 (17:28) South Florida retail rent trends over the next 180 days? (24:32) What can owners do today to position themselves to succeed? (36:00) When might we start to see real loan defaults and real distressed assets? (42:55) Lessons learned from 2007-2008 financial crisis (53:56) Decisions made in the pre-COVID-19 world that have carried over well into our current environment Hear how South Florida retail professionals are approaching industry challenges and evolving to meet the needs of retailers. Panelists: Philip Rosen, Becker (moderator) Adam Tiktin, …
SPRINGFIELD, MASS. — MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) has reopened its casino in the western Massachusetts city of Springfield at 25 percent of its original capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of July 13, there were 112,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the state of Massachusetts and 8,330 deaths. At this time, the resort’s 240-room hotel and spa remain closed, limiting the amenity options for guests to the 125,000-square-foot casino and three of the property’s food and beverage establishments, which will also operate at limited occupancies. Valet parking is also unavailable at this time. Employees and guests are required to wear masks in public settings, and plexiglass barriers have been installed in certain areas where social distancing is difficult to maintain. MGM has also set up handwashing stations throughout casino floor and will use digital menus as its restaurants to minimize sharing of surfaces.
EAST PEORIA, ILL. — Chicken Salad Chick has opened today at The Levee District in East Peoria. The restaurant, which specializes in homemade chicken salad, occupies 2,718 square feet between Jersey Mike’s Subs and Xfinity. The first 100 guests on opening day will receive one large serving of chicken salad per month for an entire year. The restaurant will open at limited capacity with social distancing measures in place for COVID-19. This will be the farthest north restaurant of Chicken Salad Chick’s 157 locations. Chicken Salad Chick currently operates in 17 states and is rapidly expanding with both franchise and company locations. Owned and managed by Cullinan Properties Ltd., The Levee District encompasses 650,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, as well as office, hotel and civic components.
