Houston — Russo’s New York Pizzeria, the nation’s only chef-driven New York-style, Italian restaurant and pizzeria franchise concept, announces its latest franchise opportunity: an authentic Italian microbrewery. Conceptualized by Chef Anthony Russo, Russo’s New York Italia Pizza Kitchen & Brewery will open its first location in 2019. The innovative Pizza Kitchen & Brewery will feature Russo’s infamous Italian menu with pizza and pasta-focused dishes, as well as unique craft beers, brewed in-house. The brewery will range from 3,500 to 5,000 square feet; the new design features a full view pizza …
— By Jennifer Morris — Fast-casual concepts breathing new life into historic buildings. In the competitive restaurant industry, it’s often a challenge for concepts to break away from the pack. The dining experience and brand identity aren’t solely limited to the cuisine and culinary approach, but rather also developed through the site, decor and ambiance. Looking to differentiate themselves, many fast-casual concepts are taking the approach of choosing older, historical buildings to invest in, as opposed to commercial space that is new, modern or sleek. In the process, …
— By David Goodwin — Should I retrofit my sign with LED lights? The commercial sign market has experienced a watershed shift in the use of one of a sign’s crucial components. Fluorescent bulbs long were the favored technology for giving signs their glow, but LED bulbs have emerged in recent years as a preferred choice for many sign-makers and their customers. Newly fabricated signs now often are installed with LED bulbs. In addition, shopping center operators and others increasingly are weighing the value of retrofitting their existing …
Los Angeles — CBRE, Iron Mountain and Redaptive have won the 2019 Professional Excellence Award conferred by CoreNet Global. The combined team was recognized for accelerating environmental improvements and cost reduction via an innovative Efficiency-as-a Service (EaaS) delivery model. CBRE’s energy managers, in collaboration with Iron Mountain’s Global Real Estate and Sustainability leadership, developed a multi-year energy strategy to improve facility efficiency and sustainability. Within this strategy, Redaptive and CBRE are implementing a unique, portfolio-wide, turnkey solution, backed by transparent measurement and verification reporting. The approach allows Iron Mountain to …
Denver — In late May, Denver-based BluSky Restoration Contractors, LLC merged with St. Louis-based United Services, a full-service disaster restoration company serving commercial and residential clients since 1988. “BluSky and United Services share similar missions and core values that are driven first and foremost by providing best-in-class customer service,” says Kent Stemper, CEO of BluSky. “United Services has a passion for excellence and high ethical standards, which are also primary drivers of BluSky’s success and will be a great fit with our firm, and those were key factors that attracted …
Lake Forest, Calif. — Del Taco Restaurants, Inc., the second largest Mexican-American quick-service restaurant chain by units in the United States, recently commenced the marketing of certain company-operated restaurants across four non-core Western markets. The refranchising of these restaurants is expected to be completed by summer 2020 and is planned to help shift company ownership to approximately 45% of the Del Taco system while stimulating growth in new restaurants and existing restaurant AUVs. Del Taco first announced its Restaurant Portfolio Optimization plan in January 2019 and subsequently retained The Cypress …
San Francisco — A joint venture led by Sansome Pacific, a real estate investment firm based in San Francisco, has acquired 11 locations of outdoor sports retailer Cabela’s for $324.3 million. The transaction was structured as a sale-leaseback with the seller, Bass Pro Shops, which owns the Cabela’s brand. Much like Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s is known for its sprawling retail campuses. The 11-property portfolio spans 1.6 million square feet on 227 acres of land. Bass Pro Shops is based in Springfield, Mo., while Cabela’s is based in Sidney, Neb. …
Miami — One of Wynwood’s most-loved wine bars, Bunbury, has made its way to Downtown Miami’s Arts & Entertainment district. After more than 5 years in the Miami arts district of Wynwood, co-owners Paula Costa and Fernanda Orellano thought it was time to expand and bring a hint of Argentine flair to the downtown neighborhood. Now open in Square Station, a newly-built apartment complex by fellow Argentinian developers the Melo Group, Bunbury took 7,500 square feet of ground-floor space with ample indoor and outdoor seating at the base of the …
Deerfield Beach, Fla. — IT’SUGAR, one of the largest specialty candy retailers in the world, has opened its newest U.S. flagship store in Las Vegas. The 6,000-square-foot IT’SUGAR store is located at the Grand Bazaar Shops across from the world-famous Bellagio Fountain. The Las Vegas Strip location is anchored by a giant 40-foot-tall kinetic gumball machine sculpture filled with gumballs, which serves as a Vegas sized grand entrance. “For many years it has been our vision to open an IT’SUGAR flagship store on the Las Vegas Strip and we couldn’t …
Baltimore — Construction is underway on the new restaurant fit-out of Wayward Smokehouse and Curious Oyster located at The Avenue at White Marsh in Baltimore. The project, a contemporary dual-concept restaurant and bar is a renovation of an existing building. The renovation of the former Don Pablo’s Mexican Restaurant includes extensive modifications to the exterior and interior of the building, creating a unique brand identity for each restaurant. Both restaurants blur the line between outdoor and indoor with garage doors and accordion windows that lead to outdoor dining areas. According …