Prakas & Company is happy to have another one of our deals featured in the South Florida Business Journal. We would like to extend a sincere thank you to Reporter Matthew Arrojas of the South Florida Business Journal for taking the time to interview us to produce this piece. You can find more of his work here at BizJournals.com.
New York-based restaurateur Curt Huegel has a second Delray Beach restaurant planned, following the recent opening of Avalon Delray along Atlantic Avenue.
Huegel’s Host Restaurants signed a lease for approximately 3,000 square feet at 189 N.E. Second Ave. in Delray Beach. The location is the former site of Banyan Restaurant & Bar and is just across the street from the Ray Hotel, a hotel from Menin under development and slated to open in July.
A frequent visitor to Delray over the past year, Huegel said he came across the former Banyan space without a specific concept in mind. He fell in love with the location, and the upcoming hotel opening nearby convinced him to sign a lease for the eatery.
“With everything [Menin] is doing over there, it made my decision about buying the space very simple for me,” he said.
The hotel is slated to open July 4, Huegel said, which is when he hopes to open his yet-to-be-named restaurant.
While the concept itself is still under development, he said he’s allowing the restaurant space itself to dictate the design and theme. The former Banyan restaurant includes about 1,000 square feet of indoor space, plus 2,000 square feet of outdoor space.
Therefore, his upcoming eatery will be more casual in style than Avalon Delray, and the concept will be driven by the outdoor space, he said. Avalon is open just two blocks away at 110 E. Atlantic Ave.
Boca Raton-based Prakas & Co. represented the landlord in the lease deal.
Huegel said he has no other restaurants currently under development, but he’s continuing to look into opening new eateries anywhere in Broward or Palm Beach counties. He’s one of many New York restaurateurs who have begun to invest heavily in South Florida, many of whom were spurred on by New York’s harsh limitations on restaurant service due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Other out-of-state restaurateurs and restaurant groups that have recently announced eateries coming to South Florida include New York-based Major Food Group, Anthony Monticello of New York-based Where Hospitality and Alan Philips, best known for his Friedmans concept in New York City.
Source: Matthew Arrojas, South Florida Business Journal