MIAMI—Lime Fresh Mexican Grill has announced a rapid expansion program throughout the region. The expansion plans come after Ruby Tuesday snapped up the brand.
Comras Company has been named the exclusive leasing agent for Lime Fresh Mexican Grill, which will open about 200 new locations throughout the eastern U.S. Comras will handle the South Florida expansion efforts with the goal of finding highly-trafficked retail locations with proper frontage and a complementary tenant mix.
Jeff Evans, director of retail leasing at Comras Company, tells GlobeSt.com, his team will work to identify geographic pockets in South Florida with a balanced approach to traffic. Parameters include strong day time drivers and an abundant amount rooftops to support evening service.
“Right now there is a vast amount of fast casual restaurants all aggressively vying for the limited prime retail locations,” Evans says. “Landlords are seeking tenants with strong business fundamentals and strong financing, coupled with an ability to serve as a destination driver.”
Evans will help Lime Fresh Mexican Grill explore the options. So far, each restaurant location has varied slightly to best accommodate the design of retail developments, however the emphasis has been on incorporating a large outdoor seating area to the dining experience.
“The market is beginning to swing back a bit in favor of the landlord, however, tenants with the strong fundamentals can still dictate the market to a degree,” Evans says. “This is not a race for how many but rather a fight for the proper real estate position. We will actively seek as many correct locations as possible to meet the stringent growth requirement of our client.”
The first Lime Fresh Mexican Grill opened on South Beach in 2004. The brand added additional restaurants slowly, choosing a handful of franchisees in Midtown Miami and the Shops at Pembroke Gardens in Pembroke Pines. The fast casual has 14 locations nationally. Most are in Florida.
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