GAINESVILLE, FLA. — Celebration Pointe developers have signed a lease to bring in The Keys, a fresh seafood restaurant and entertainment venue. The Keys is locally owned by Tony Espetia, a real estate professional with Coldwell Banker M. M. Parrish Realtors and former owner of Rum Runners and Fat Tuesday in Gainesville; Brad Heron, the current owner of Rockeys Dueling Piano Bar; and Diego Ibanez, who has more than 25 years of restaurant experience and is the co-owner of Emiliano’s Café, a longtime family-owned restaurant that started as a bakery in the early 1980s. The Keys will serve freshly caught seafood and feature dueling pianos. The Keys, which has a double meaning playing off both the Florida Keys and piano keys, is expected to open this summer. Celebration Pointe is a 160-acre mixed-use development that will span more than 1 million square feet and will include office and retail space, residential units and a mix of experiential and entertainment venues.
Restaurant
Hanley Investment Group Arranges $3.5 Million Sale of Raising Cane’s Location in Southern California
by Amy Works
FONTANA, CALIF. — Hanley Investment Group has arranged the $3.5 million sale of a single-tenant building situated on 0.6 acres within a Sprouts Farmers Market-anchored retail center in Fontana. The 3,233-square-foot property is fully leased to a Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers restaurant, which opened in February. Other tenants at Highland Village shopping center include Jack in the Box, Burgerim, Jersey Mike’s, Oggi’s Restaurant, Mountain View Tires, Pacific Dental and Quick Quack Car Wash. Kevin Fryman, Bill Asher and Jeff Lefko of Hanley represented the seller, Adler Realty Investments Inc., in the transaction. Kevin Boeve of Marcus & Millichap represented the buyer, a private investor based in Covina, Calif.
BELTON, MO. — Raising Cane Restaurants LLC has received approval from the Belton Planning Commission to build a 3,160-square-foot restaurant near I-49 in Belton. The $1.5 million development will consist of a one-story drive-thru restaurant on a 1.7-acre lot at 1599 E. North Ave. The Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers restaurant will include an indoor dining room with 80 seats, a covered outdoor area with 25 seats and 36 parking spaces. PM Design Group is the architect and Premier Design Group is the project engineer. The restaurant is slated for a 2020 opening.
IRVING, TEXAS — Following a merger with the parent company of the Chuck E. Cheese brand, London-based Leo Holdings Corp. plans to rebrand itself and take the new company public on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker symbol “CEC.” The enterprise value of the combined company, which will be known as Chuck E. Cheese Brands Inc., is estimated at $1.4 billion. Leo Holdings, which is self-described as a special purpose acquisition firm, has entered into a “definitive business combination agreement” with Queso Holdings Corp., which is the parent company of CEC Entertainment Inc., the owner, operator and leading franchisor of the family dining and entertainment brand Chuck E. Cheese. The other principal in the merger agreement is Queso’s controlling stockholder, an entity owned by funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management LLC (NYSE: APO), a publicly traded equity firm based in New York. CEC Entertainment is based in the Dallas suburb of Irving and also owns, operates and franchises Peter Piper Pizza, a family dining concept. As of year-end 2018, CEC Entertainment and its franchisees operated a system of 606 Chuck E. Cheese venues and 144 Peter Piper Pizza restaurants, with locations in 47 states and …
FITCHBURG, WIS. — Quantum Real Estate Advisors Inc. has brokered the $2.8 million sale of a Popeyes-occupied property in Fitchburg, just south of Madison. The 4,442-square-foot building is located at 2844 Fish Hatchery Road. Popeyes has approximately 20 years left on its lease. Chad Firsel and Zack Hilgendorf of Quantum brokered the transaction. A private buyer based in Seattle purchased the property from a Chicago-based developer.
Austin’s retail and restaurant market is rapidly becoming one of the hippest and most dynamic scenes in the country, as new concepts are flocking to the state capital in lockstep with its remarkable job and population growth. The push by both new and established retailers and restaurants to grab a piece of the Austin pie has driven the city’s retail occupancy rate to roughly 93 percent. Annual rent growth has exceeded 10 percent at Class A properties in submarkets such as the Central Business District (CBD) and East Austin. But while demand for retail and restaurant space in Austin’s urban core is at an all-time high, so too are rates of turnover among these users. A Gentrified Market The driving factors behind these trends are fairly straightforward. Buoyed by the still-surging job growth in the tech industry, the median age of Austin’s population is getting lower, currently sitting at about 34 years. Many of these residents have high-paying jobs, are new to the city and are eager to take advantage of its thriving food, beverage and entertainment options. The gentrification of some of Austin’s historic neighborhoods is well underway and expected to continue in the near future as tech giants …
DETROIT — Union Joints will anchor the new Little Caesars world headquarters campus expansion at the corner of Woodward Avenue and Columbia Street in Detroit. The 14,000-square-foot restaurant will feature a second-floor patio that faces Comerica Park, home of the Detroit Tigers. Level One Bank has secured construction financing and completion is slated for the end of the year. Union Joints is an independent restaurant group that owns and operates nine locations, including The Clarkston Union, Union General Store, Union Woodshop, Vinsetta Garage, Fenton Fire Hall, Pumphouse Custard, Honcho, Gran Castor and Bunkhouse Burgers. The company is based in Clarkston, Mich. and is known for its mac and cheese.
HOUSTON — Three new food and beverage concepts will open at Memorial City, a 265-acre mixed-use development in Houston owned by local firm MetroNational. A 7,000-square-foot space will be built for alcoholic beverage provider Kirby Ice House, with construction beginning this summer and the bar opening in fall 2020. A 5,830-square-foot space will be constructed for burger and milkshake concept Mia’s Table, and a 4,550-square-foot space will be built for Austin-based Torchy’s Tacos. Construction of both of those venues will begin this spring, with openings slated for next spring.
SOUTH MIAMI, FLA. — Yumbrella Food Hall is now open at The Shops at Sunset Place in South Miami. Led by food truck organizer and restaurateur Steve Simon, Yumbrella is the only food hall in the city, paying homage to Miami’s original food hall, which opened in the 1970s by the same name. The 6,500-square-foot hall features seven restaurant concepts ranging from Chinese to soul food, Italian, Latin, American and German fare. Confirmed food hall vendors include Cracked by Chef Adrianne, Dr. Limon Express, Killer Melts, NOODS, King of Racks BBQ, The Tonic and The Beverly. Amenities include a shared kitchen, full bar, stage for musical performances and a private room for events. The Shops at Sunset Place has been owned and operated by Federal Realty Investment Trust, Grass River Property and The Comras Co. since 2015. Other tenants at The Shops at Sunset Place include AMC Theatres, LA Fitness, Tea & Poets, Splitsville and Z-Gallerie.
DENTON AND ADDISON, TEXAS — Venture Commercial has executed two restaurant leases totaling 11,225 square feet in North Texas. The Lion & Crown, an English-style pub, will occupy 9,700 square feet at 101 W. Hickory St. in Denton, and 3 Natives Juice Bar has signed a 1,525-square-foot lease at 5100 Belt Line Road in Addison. In the first transaction, Greg Blandford of Venture Commercial represented the tenant, and Alex Payne of Axis Realty Group of Denton Inc. represented the landlord. In the second deal, Tim Henson of Venture Commercial represented the tenant and Amanda Throckmorton and Easley Waggoner, also with Venture Commercial, represented the landlord.