CHICAGO — Willis Tower owner EQ Office has unveiled two new retail tenants for Catalog, the new 300,000-square-foot dining and retail portion under construction at the Chicago office tower. Sushi-San will offer a dine-in experience as well as a grab-and-go station. Guests can customize maki rolls, poke or chirashi bowls at the sushi counter. The Mexican restaurant Tortazo will occupy nearly 3,000 square feet. It is a new concept from Rick Bayless, an award-winning chef. Tortazo is expected to open later this year. The entire Catalog concept is slated for completion in mid-2020.
COMMERCE TOWNSHIP, MICH. — Gerdom Realty & Investment has negotiated the sale of a 3,361-square-foot restaurant property occupied by Willson’s Pub ’N Grill in Commerce Township, northwest of Detroit. The 146-seat restaurant is located in the Shops at Commerce Village. A local restaurant operator purchased the asset for an undisclosed price. Michael Murphy and Tjader Gerdom of Gerdom represented the undisclosed seller. Willson’s is known for its burgers and pizza.
ATLANTA AND CHAMPAIGN, ILL. — Inspire Brands Inc., the parent company of Arby’s, has agreed to acquire Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches. Terms of the transaction, expected to close by the end of October, were not disclosed. The Jimmy John’s Board of Directors, including founder and chairman Jimmy John Liautaud, unanimously approved the agreement. Jimmy John’s had $2.15 billion in U.S. sales last year across 2,803 stores, a roughly 50 percent increase in both sales and locations since 2013, according to The Wall Street Journal. Jimmy John’s, based in Champaign, opened its first sandwich shop in 1983, and is known for fast delivery. Atlanta-based Inspire is a multi-brand restaurant company founded in 2018. Its current portfolio includes more than 8,300 Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Sonic and Rusty Taco locations worldwide. Following completion of the transaction, Inspire will be the fourth-largest restaurant company in the United States, according to a news release. Inspire expects to have more than $14 billion in annual sales and more than 11,200 restaurants across 16 countries. James North will serve as president of the Jimmy John’s brand, reporting to Paul Brown, co-founder and CEO of Inspire. Liautaud will step down as chairman and transition to an advisor …
ROSEVILLE, MICH. — GPS Hospitality Inc. has opened a new Burger King restaurant at 26640 Gratiot Ave. in Roseville, just south of I-696. Burger King occupies approximately 3,600 square feet on a 1.3-acre site. Tjader Gerdom and Larry Siedell of Gerdom Realty & Investment represented GPS Hospitality in the lease transaction. Founded in 2012, GPS Hospitality is a Burger King, Pizza Hut and Popeyes franchisee, operating more than 475 restaurants.
MESA, ARIZ. — CCR North LLC has started construction on Phase II of Crismon Gateway Village, an approximately $40 million mixed-use project situated at the northeast corner of Crismon and Baseline roads in Mesa. The second phase will bring a mix of tenants, including Martin Dental, Vantage West and Sassy’s Café & Bakery. Current tenants include Black Rock Coffee, Bella Nail Bar, Filiberto’s, Radius Fitness and Doc’s Artisan Ice Cream. Upon completion, the master-planned community will include 22,040 square feet of retail, restaurant and office space and a 128-unit multifamily property with individual suite patios. Mary Nollenberger and Nicole Ridberg of SVN/Desert Commercial Advisors are handling leasing efforts for the development.
GARDEN GROVE, CALIF. — Valore Ventures has completed the disposition of an Oggi’s Pizza & Brewery location at 12362 Chapman Ave. in Garden City. The restaurant’s franchisee, a local private investor, acquired the property for an undisclosed sum. The 6,500-square-foot restaurant is part of a four-property, fee-simple restaurant portfolio that Valore Ventures acquired in January. Built between 2001 and 2008, the restaurants are part of a larger development that includes three high-rise hotels and a 2.8-acre parking lot owned by the hotels, but reserved exclusively for restaurant use. Matthew Mousavi and Patrick Luther of SRS Real Estate Partners’ National Net Lease Group represented the seller in the deal.
ATLANTA — Velvet Taco has opened its first Atlanta restaurant in Buckhead. The 2,500-square-foot establishment is situated at 77 W. Paces Ferry Road within a Whole Foods Market-anchored shopping center. The late-night joint offers a variety of chicken, beef, pork, fish and vegetarian tacos as well as brunch options. Velvet Taco expects to open a second Atlanta location next year at the Interlock development in West Midtown, according to local media. Based in Dallas, the brand also operates restaurants in Austin, Chicago and Houston.
MIAMI BEACH, FLA. — The Lincoln Road Business Improvement District (BID) has executed six leases with retailers and restaurants to occupy space on Lincoln Road, Miami Beach’s high street for upscale retail, restaurants and entertainment. Brandy Melville, a women’s clothing shop catering toward Gen Z shoppers, opened its 2,500-square-foot shop at 730 Lincoln Road in late August. Located at 810 Lincoln Road, Pele Soccer is a 7,000-square-foot store that features a turf surface for consumers to test out cleats and will install bleachers to host watch parties in the coming months. MC2 Saint Barth will occupy 748 square feet at 608 Lincoln Road later this year. The swimsuit company has been in business for 25 years. MILA is a “MediterrAsian” fusion restaurant that will open at 800 Lincoln Road later this fall. Paletas Morelia, a gourmet popsicle shop, will make its Miami Beach debut later this year. Lastly, Casper, a store dedicated to all things sleep related, is located at 1114 Lincoln Road. The six retailers join Fritz’s Skate, Bike & Surf Shop; Dog Bar; and Lulu Laboratorium as tenants to sign leases this this summer.
MICHIGAN — Craft beer has become big business in Michigan, especially in the Detroit area, where breweries have expanded by 680,000 square feet since 2010, according to a report from CBRE. In 2017, the craft brewing industry contributed $76.2 billion to the U.S. economy. Of that amount, the total craft beer industry in Michigan contributed nearly $2.5 billion — ninth highest in the nation. In total, the state is home to 330 craft breweries, ranking it fourth in the nation by the number of establishments. From 2008 to 2016, Michigan added 1,600 jobs in breweries, accounting for sector employment growth of more than 760 percent.
ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, ILL. — Tropical Smoothie Cafe, a fast-casual concept known for its smoothies and tropical food, is opening its 800th location. The restaurant, located at 115 W. Rand Road in Arlington Heights, is set to open this Friday, Sept. 6. Tropical Smoothie Cafe has grown at a rapid pace this year, opening its 750th location in May. Existing franchisee Hani Halloun, along with first-time franchisees Edward Joubran and Martin Khoshaba, will own and operate the new Arlington Heights location. There are currently seven Tropical Smoothie Cafe locations in the Chicago market, with 18 more in the pipeline.