The former Hudson at Waterway East has been leased to a restaurant company that operates Argentine steakhouses in Spain.
Che! Restaurant uses the casual Argentine moniker for “dude” or “pal” as its name.
But Che! Restaurant a seriously expanding company, with numerous locations in Spain. Now it has grand plans for the United States.
Indeed, the Delray Beach location will serve as the first of several planned Che! locations, said Sean Molloy, a Delray Beach real estate executive who helped Che! land the Hudson deal.
“Within five years, they hope to have at least five restaurants open,” Molloy said of the Che! restaurant group. (Fun fact: The word “che” is known in the U.S. mostly as the nickname of Argentine Marxist revolutionaryErnesto “Che” Guevara, a major figure in the 1959 Cuban revolution. But in South America, che is a common slang greeting.)Tom Prakas, of Boca Raton-Prakas Group, brokered the lease at the former Hudson restaurant, at 900 E. Atlantic.When a deal to bring Broward County-based Blue Moon Fish Co.fell through, Che! stepped in fast.Geography was key: Molloy and Prakas live on the same Delray Beach street. Some Che! family members also live in Delray Beach.So word traveled fast: “The deal was done within 10 days,” Molloy said. “Tom was instrumental in getting it done.”Molloy said Che! was willing to act quickly because it was already in the market for a South Florida location. In fact, the company had been poised to sign a deal in Miami, but swiveled to grab the empty Hudson’s space when it became available.Molloy said Che! officials still are working out details for the restaurant. But they plan to make it a place moderate enough in price that people can visit frequently.Plans are afoot to feature not only steak but also a raw bar, sushi and tapas.An October opening is being planned.