Shopping Center Business and Heartland Real Estate Business hosted a webinar entitled Greater Kansas City Retail Outlook— How is the Greater Kansas City Area Retail Sector Responding to COVID-19?, covering the impacts of COVID-19 and what panelists expect for the rest of 2020. See a list of some topics covered below: As a city that straddles state lines, how has Kansas City been impacted by the pandemic, compared with other Midwest markets? What restrictions are in place for retailers and restaurants? How are retail property owners and tenants ensuring the safety of customers and staff? What are property owners and managers doing to work with retail tenants during these difficult circumstances? What do retailers need to recover? How will retail rents and property values be affected? What are the predictions for retail vacancy rates in the coming year? What will be the impact on new development and investment sales in the retail sector in the near term? Panelists: David E. Waters, Lathrop GPM LLP (moderator) Erin Johnston, Copaken Brooks Andy Crimmins, Crossroads Retail Group Tyler Enders, Made in KC Dan Lowe, Legacy Development David Block, Block & Company Webinar sponsors: Block & Company, Inc.: Block & Company, Inc., Realtors is …
ORLANDO, FLA. — Darden Restaurants Inc. (NYSE: DRI) has reported its sales fell 28.4 percent in its fiscal first quarter, which ended Aug. 30. The Orlando-based company owns restaurant brands including Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, Yard House, The Capital Grille, Seasons 52, Bahama Breeze and Eddie V’s. Darden reported that sales in its fine dining restaurants fell 38.9 percent year-over-year. Sales at Olive Garden slid 27.7 percent, while LongHorn saw a decrease of 16.3 percent. At the beginning of its first quarter, Darden had 68 percent of restaurants in its portfolio open, compared with 91 percent on Sept. 1. Despite the fall in sales, Darden is still progressing with its full-year outlook, which includes the addition of 35 to 40 new restaurants and total capital spending of $250 million to $300 million. As of Aug. 30, Darden operated 1,807 restaurants.
LEWISVILLE, TEXAS — Hills Café will open a 2,810-square-foot breakfast and lunch restaurant at Castle Hills Village Shops in the northern Dallas suburb of Lewisville. The opening is slated for December. Dan Looney and Nick Miller internally represented the landlord, locally based developer Bright Realty, in the negotiations for the 10-year lease. Hunt Kim and James Lee of JLB R&I represented the tenant.
COLUMBUS, OHIO — LemonShark Poké & Makai Grill is opening its first Ohio restaurant at Easton Town Center in Columbus. The Hawaiian-themed establishment, which offers sushi, hibachi-style grilled meats and seafood, is scheduled to open in late fall. A staple of Hawaiian cuisine, Poké incorporates variations of marinated seafood typically over sticky rice with vegetables and sauces. Guests at the restaurant will also enjoy a bar and island-themed drinks. Developed by The Georgetown Co., L Brands and Steiner + Associates, Easton Town Center is a component of the larger Easton, a 1,300-acre mixed-use destination.
LAS VEGAS — AREA15, an experiential art and entertainment complex in Las Vegas, is now open to the public. While the complex is free to enter, pre-registration and masks are currently required to manage capacities and ensure a safe environment. AREA15 offers art installations, socially distanced activities, unique retail, bars and eateries. The property houses 40,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor event space with more than 800 free parking spaces. Currently open retailers and experiences include Art Island, Birdly Virtual Reality Experience, Emack & Bolios, Gallerie 360 inside The Portal, Haley’s Comet, Oddwood, Sanctuary, Shogyo Mujo, The Beast Pop-up Food Experience, The SPINE, Valyrian Steel and Wild Muse Boutique. Additional experiences that are slated to open soon include Meow Wolf’s Omega Market, Lost Spirits Distillery, Dueling Axes, Emporium Bar and Arcade, Wink World, The Beast Food Hall by Todd English, Rocket Fizz candy shop, Intel Innovation Hub, Five Iron Golf and Virtualis. AREA15 is a collaborative venture between real estate development firm Fisher Brothers and creative agency Beneville Studios.
MENLO PARK, CALIF. — San Francisco-based Presidio Bay Ventures has taken over construction, lease-up and stabilization of the 6.4-acre mixed-use development, located at 1300-1302 El Camino Real and 550 Oak Grove Ave. in Menlo Park. The strategic operation of the project, renamed Springline, was transitioned to Presidio Bay mid-construction in June. Since then, the firm’s development team has overhauled nearly all aspects of the project. Situated in Menlo Park’s pedestrian-oriented downtown city center, Springline will feature two 100,000-square-foot Class A office buildings, 183 residences, retail, dining, a dual-level subterranean parking garage and public outdoor space. Approved by Menlo Park City Council in early 2017, original construction for the project started later that year. Delivery of the commercial buildings is slated for fourth quarter and leasing of the residential component is scheduled to begin in second-quarter 2021. Christian Prelle, Mike Courson and Clay Jones of Newmark Knight Frank’s Palo Alto, Calif., office, along with Cassidy Zerrer of NKF’s San Francisco office, are handling office leasing efforts for the project.
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.