Silver Diner added a third Hampton Roads restaurant with this Volvo Parkway site in Chesapeake, Virginia.

DRE Specializes in Restaurant Site Selection

VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA -- The retail division of Divaris Real Estate, Inc. has been gaining recognition as a specialist in the field of site selection for all types of restaurants.  In 2004, approximately two dozen leases were signed for food service tenants in Divaris-leased and managed properties and for tenant representation clients of DRE.

      One of the most prominent restaurant lease in 2004 was for Ruth’s Chris Steak House for 11,000 square feet in The Town Center of Virginia Beach.   The New Orleans-based steakhouse, the largest upscale steak house company in the world, is the tenth restaurant in the mixed-use Town Center.  It joined Bravo! Cucino Italiana, Red Star Tavern, The Cheesecake Factory, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, California Pizza Kitchen, Keagan’s Irish Pub, Funny Bones Restaurant and Comedy Club, Town Center City Club, Zushi and Cold Stone Creamery, all of which were secured in The Town Center of Virginia Beach by the Virginia Beach office of Divaris.

      The Hampton Roads region of Southeast Virginia must have a real taste for beef, as the second largest restaurant deal completed by DRE in 2004 was for an 8,000-square-foot Logan’s Roadhouse in Norfolk.   Jay Burnell and Levi Thomson of the Virginia Beach office of DRE represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. 

      At Military Circle Mall, across Virginia Beach Boulevard from the Logan’s Roadhouse, is the site of a former Putt-Putt USA mini-golf course that was sold to Boddie-Noell Enterprises, Inc.   The four acre ground lease will be developed into a combined Texas Steakhouse, Hardees and BBQ & Ribs Company restaurant.  Jay Burnell represented the landlord for this lease, Thor Gallery at Military Circle, LLC.

      Multiple deals were completed with Quizno’s Subs for space in the Divaris-leased and managed North Village Shopping Center in Hagerstown, Maryland and in Virginia Beach’s Dam Neck Crossing and Courthouse Marketplace.  Jay Burnell handled the lease at Courthouse Marketplace for the landlord, Armada Hoffler, Anne Millar Wright represented the landlord at Dam Neck Crossing and Susan McGee of DRE’s Rockville office negotiated the lease on behalf of the landlord in the North Village lease.

      Also in Hagerstown, Divaris completed lease negotiations with CiCi’s Pizza for 5,200 square feet in the DRE-leased Valley Park Common shopping center, located at 1520 Wesel Boulevard.  The pizza restaurant joins Hollywood Video, Martin’s Grocery, Lowe’s Home Improvement and Sprint Cellular.  Other Italian American restaurants that are expanding in Divaris-leased properties include Pasta Luna at Commonweath Centre II in Midlothian, Virginia and a Papa John’s pizza restaurant in Centralia Crossing shopping center in Chester, Virginia.

      Recently, the Asian restaurant category is one of the most prolific segments for Divaris properties with seven separate deals completed throughout the Mid-Atlantic.  Tops China opened in 360 West Shopping Center in Richmond; Pho Royal opened in Maple Leaf Place in Sterling, Virginia; China Gardens will join anchor Food Lion in the newly constructed Winecoff Commons in Kannapolis, North Carolina; Hong Kong Chinese Restaurant leased space in a Food Lion shopping center in Rock Hill, South Carolina; Ichiban Japanese steakhouse and sushi bar took 1,460 square feet in Virginia Beach’s Dam Neck Crossing and Zushi, an upscale sushi restaurant coming to The Town Center of Virginia Beach, was signed by Erica Meekins of DRE’s Virginia Beach office.  Each of these leases were for space in Divaris-leased properties.  Asian Grill Chinese & Japanese Cuisine was represented by Kathy Anderson of the Newport News office of Divaris Real Estate. 

      Low-carb diets notwithstanding, there were three leases signed for ice cream parlors and three for bakeries in Virginia, Maryland and the Carolinas.  Cold Stone Creamery leased space in Chesapeake, Virginia’s Crossways Shopping Center; Coliseum Crossing in Hampton scooped up Haagen-Dazs as a tenant and Maggie Moo’s Ice Cream opened its 11th location in the Carolinas with a lease for space at Barefoot Landing in Myrtle Beach.   Haagen-Dazs is represented by Meekins and Maggie Moo’s is represented by Bob Fetterolf of the Charlotte office of DRE.   Kabbie’s Bake Shoppe specializes in cookies, scones and wedding cakes in the Divaris-leased Festival Marketplace in Williamsburg, Virginia; and Notre Boulangerie et Patisserie opened its first Washington DC area bakery at King Farm Village in Rockville, Maryland.

      Most deserving of a prize for a clever restaurant name is Carpe PM nightclub and grill, which leased 1,970 square feet in the Divaris leased and managed Festival Marketplace in Williamsburg.  

      A menu of the services that Divaris Real Estate offers to its restaurant clients is available from the Virginia Beach corporate headquarters office of DRE and on its website at www.divaris.com.