Lake Forest, Calif. — Del Taco is debuting its highly-anticipated new store prototype: a sleek, bold, contemporary model, “Fresh Flex,” that reconceptualizes the restaurant inside and out. Striking exteriors and distinctive interiors evoke the brand’s contemporized feel. At the same time, the new design expands real estate opportunities to help lower net investment costs, provides ultimate convenience for guests and optimizes operational efficiencies. “Continuing to adapt and evolve is the lynchpin for Del Taco to remain ahead of the curve in the restaurant industry,” says John Cappasola, CEO of Del …
construction and design
St. Louis — Planet Fitness has partnered with Poettker Construction on three health fitness clubs located throughout the greater St. Louis area in 2020. Poettker served as the construction manager for the Festus, Washington and Ballwin, Mo., locations, which opened to members in time for the new year. The Festus and Washington locations each feature a new two-story ground-up prototype with a gross floor area of 30,000 square feet, allowing ample space for hundreds of machines and free weights. Construction for the Ballwin location, which opened in late November 2020, …
Atlanta — Schlotzsky’s has unveiled two new prototypes that will put its drive-thru front and center and enhance speed of service for delivery, to-go and catering. While driving off-premise sales has been underway for Schlotzsky’s for some time, it’s now become an even bigger priority. During the pandemic, 35% of Schlotzsky’s sales were driven by off-premise and were a major part of the brand’s rapid recovery. Now, Schlotzsky’s has designed two new options referred to as “Design 1800” and “Design 1000” that will lean heavily on off-premise and reduce seating. …
St. Louis — The new Drake’s restaurant and entertainment venue in Evansville, Ind., is complete, with Knoebel Construction serving as the general contractor. This is the second location that St. Louis-based Knoebel has built for the restaurant chain. Knoebel has been selected as the general contractor for all of Drake’s currently planned locations. Construction began on the Clarksville, Tenn., location earlier in December and Knoebel will break ground on Drake’s third restaurant in Louisville, Ky., in January. The 5,996-square-foot Drake’s in Evansville features one large central bar, approximately 30 televisions …
Miami — Balfour Beatty has completed construction on River Landing Shops and Residences, a 2.5 million-square-foot, mixed-use development along the Miami River. On behalf of real estate investment trust H&R REIT and South Florida developer Urban-X Group, with Matthews Southwest providing owner representative services, the $298 million mega-project will be a premier dining and shopping destination in the heart of the second largest health district in the U.S. River Landing Shops and Residences is built on 8.1 acres of riverfront land and is one of the few projects in the …
Rosemont, Ill. — After serving as president of McShane Construction Company for 22 years, Jeff Raday (left) will retire at the end of the year. Upon Raday’s retirement from the firm, Mat Dougherty (right), executive vice president at McShane, will transition into the president’s role. “We have been planning this transition for quite some time,” says Raday. “I’m very excited to see what the future holds for McShane Construction under Mat’s leadership.” Raday joined the firm in October 1996 as vice president and was promoted to president in March 1998. …
— By Jeff Rabbitt and Ruba Younan — A case study in restaurant design authenticity. The past couple of years have been marked by a shift in restaurant design towards authentic environments that reflect their surrounding context, people and culture. Rather than just great food and service, customers are increasingly drawn to places that offer experiences, connection and history. Yet not all locations are conducive to authenticity and sites boasting a rich history are indisputably advantaged. Such is the case with the renovation of 118 W. Chapman, a century-old …
St. Louis — Construction is complete on two new $1.2 million Jiffy Lube centers in Sycamore and Springfield, Ill. Knoebel Construction served as the general contractor for the 3,500-square-foot automotive service centers and completed all of the pre-construction site work. Knoebel has been selected to build six additional Jiffy Lube locations in four Midwestern states for Stonebriar Auto Services, a Jiffy Lube franchisee. Those locations in Cape Girardeau, Mo.; Nixa, Mo.; Lake Hallie, Wis.; Manitowoc, Wis.; Jeffersonville, Ind.; and Machesney, Ill., and will complete in early 2021. Each location features …
Vancouver, B.C. — Foot Locker has opened its first Canadian community power store in Vancouver, British Columbia. A second community-based power store will open in Toronto, Ontario, in early December. The Vancouver and Toronto locations follow successful openings of power stores in Detroit, Philadelphia, New York, London, Compton, Calif., Liverpool and Hong Kong. “We are so excited to bring our power store model to Canada over the next two months,” says Richard McLeod, vice president of marketing for Foot Locker, North America. “Although the shopping experience is different with current guidelines, …
Nashville, Tenn. — Captain D’s has launched a new restaurant prototype called Express, featuring a significantly smaller footprint than its traditional models. Over the past several years, Captain D’s has developed a robust lineup of restaurant prototypes — ranging from a 22-seater to a 62-seater — all intentionally designed to adapt to the increasingly competitive real estate market, as well as provide franchisees with flexibility and substantial cost savings. The first Captain D’s Express is slated to open in the Atlanta metro area in second quarter 2021. Captain D’s Express …