Restaurant

Brooklyn, N.Y. -- Acadia Realty Trust and Washington Square Partners, co-developers of City Point, announced that Fortina, the Italian restaurant of chef, Christian Petroni, signed a 15-year, 4,612-sq. ft. lease, at the 1.8 million-sq. ft. mixed-use project in Downtown Brooklyn, New York.

Johnny Rockets, the franchisor and operator of Johnny Rockets restaurants, has named Susanne Stover as its CFO and member of its executive team. Stover will be reporting directly to CEO Charles Bruce, and will lead and implement strategies to drive growth and a financial infrastructure.

Stover is no stranger to the casual dining segment. She has held leadership positions as the CFO for the Rosa Mexicano restaurant chain and controller at the casual dining restaurant chain California Pizza Kitchen.

Highland Village, Texas -- Trademark Property Corp., the operating partner for The Shops at Highland Village located in Highland Village, Texas, announced Torchy’s Tacos has signed a lease for 5,262 sq. ft. at the recently renovated shopping center. In addition, Runway Seven’s flagship store will relocate this spring to a larger space.

Chain Store Age’s annual SPECS conference is the must-attend event for retail and restaurant executives involved in the design, construction, and maintenance of stores.

Family-owned and operated Broadway Panhandler, in Manhattan’s East Village, is going out of business after 40 years in operation.

The cookware store has long been a cult fave among restaurant chefs and home cooks alike.

As to the reason, the owner cited health issues of his wife and said his attempts to sell the business were unsuccessful, according to the New York Times.

Starbucks Corp. is still hot for tea, but it’s not feeling too warm and cozy about its Teavana "tea bar" format, which debuted in New York City about two years ago. The concept sought to elevate the tea-drinking experience, much the way Starbucks did for coffee, and featured an array of tea-related beverages and food items in a comfortable environment that encouraged people to linger.

Consumers are increasing their use of apps for a specific purpose that should make retailers happy.

According to a new survey of U.S. adults conducted by KRC Research for Verizon, 56% of consumers made a product purchase with a smartphone app in 2015. This figure includes 23% of smartphone owners who purchased a product with an app for the first time.

By age group, 70% of millennials age 18-34 made a product purchase using an app in 2015, an 85% increase from 2014. This led 66% of Gen Xers and 39% of Baby Boomers who did so.

Swire Properties Inc, one of South Florida's leading international developers of urban real estate, along with retail co-developers Whitman Family Development and Simon Property Group, announced new tenants set to join Brickell City Centre's, a 500,000-sq.-ft- open-air shopping center under construction in the heart of Miami’s Brickell neighborhood.