Full Service

New York -- Starbucks Corp. plans to bring its La Boulange Bakery café chain to Los Angeles, opening a location with extensive food offerings. The eatery is scheduled to open June 11, and will also serve beer, wine, cocktails as well as milkshakes, the Associated Press reported.

Dallas -- Fast-casual restaurant chain Corner Bakery Café announced two multi-unit development agreements with California-based businessman Anil Yadav, CEO of JIB Management, who plans to open 16 cafes in Seattle, and seven in Las Vegas, over the next seven years.
 

Every year, one of my personal highlights is the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) RECon convention in Las Vegas. It’s a chance both to connect with the fascinating leaders in our field, as well as to see a few steps into the future. RECon bills itself at the “global convention for the shopping center industry,” and that label is an accurate one: Over 1,000 exhibitors and more than 32,000 attendees make RECon the largest convention in the industry.

Miami — Executive chef and owner Cindy Hutson plans to open a new restaurant concept called Zest in the 30,000-sq.-ft. plaza of Miami’s 1.2-million-sq.-ft. Southeast Financial Center office building. It will be her second restaurant brand following the well-regarded Ortanique, which has locations in Miami, and the Cayman Islands.

Tarrytown, N.Y. — DLC Management Corp. has acquired The Court at Deptford in Deptford, New Jersey. DLC plans to redevelop the 361,000-sq.-ft. center located next to the Deptford Mall.

Tenants include Ross Dress for Less, Party City, Pier 1 and Olive Garden.

Shopping centers in the well-occupied trade area averages occupancy rates of 95%, thanks to a population of 210,985 with an average annual income of $77,600.

Orlando, Fla. -- Darden Restaurants on Friday said it has reached an agreement to sell its struggling Red Lobster chain to private equity firm Golden Gate Capital for $2.1 billion.

"Red Lobster is exactly the type of company in which we seek to invest given its great brand profile and strong management team,” said Josh Olshansky, managing director at Golden Gate Capital. “We see significant opportunities for future growth by partnering with Kim Lopdrup and the management team to support the long-term success of Red Lobster."

Chicago - The fast-casual segment continues to obtain share from full-service chains and drive limited-service growth, making up 15% of the $231 billion limited-service restaurant segment. The “Top 150 Fast-Casual Chain Report” from Technomic shows that fast-casual sales increased 11% in 2013, while all limited-service chains grew by only 3.5%.

Venice, Fla. — Carrabba’s Italian Grill has signed a long-term ground lease for a 1.31-acre outparcel in the parking lot of the Lowe’s Home Improvement store in Venice, Florida. Carrabba’s plans to begin the construction of a new restaurant immediately, with the grand opening slated for late this year.

Harrisburg, Pa. -- Arooga’s Grille House & Sports Bar announced it is making tabletop tablets from Buzztime the brand standard for all current and future corporate & franchise locations.

New York - MyCheck, a checkout app for restaurants, has collaborated with PayPal to enable U.S. consumers to pay at table through the PayPal app. The app itself enables users to select a restaurant from a list, check-in to the venue, and once there, view ordered items and prices on the mobile device, split the bill (if desired), add a tip, redeem an offer, accrue loyalty card stamps, quickly check out by hitting the pay button without waiting for a check, and receive an email receipt.