The restaurateur, which counts Chili's Grill & Bar and Romano's Macaroni Grill among its casual dining establishments, has signed a lease for 6,500 sf at 8303 On the Mall. The 10-month lease is valued at $892,500.

Brinker International was represented by Jeff Moore, Scott Horsley and John Mehigan of the CB Richard Ellis' Focus Retail Group in Anaheim.

The county's retail market has been fairly sluggish as of late, especially as unemployment is on the rise here. Orange County's unemployment rate has crept up by 0.6% at the start of 2002, according to new research by the State of California Employment Development Department. The level has increased from 3.2% in December 2001 to 3.8% in January 2002, the study says. However, the county is still ranked as number three in the state, which means that only two other regions in California have a lower unemployment rate than Orange County.