Restaurant

Houston -- Wulfe & Co., managing partner of Blvd Place, said that construction has started on Phase II of the mixed-use development located in The Uptown District of Houston.

Blvd Place will contain retail, office and residential components in an urban environment. This phase of the project is 60% pre-leased and will contain approximately 211,000 sq. ft. of upscale retail, restaurant and office space. The retail space will be anchored by a 48,500-sq.-ft. Whole Foods Market.

The folks at Echochamber.com, a London-based consultancy, have a knack for rooting out hot retail concepts around the globe. Here’s a recap of the retailers who make up their latest “Top 10 Unmissable New Stores” report:

The OfficeMax Green Tie Ball will be held this weekend to raise funds for the beautification of Chicago.

The retailer on Thursday morning disclosed it was the title sponsor of the 21st annual event being held Saturday, September 15. The event is hosted by nonprofit organization Chicago Gateway Green, which is dedicated to greening and beautifying Chicagoland's expressways, gateways and communities. OfficeMax has a strong business presence in the Chicagoland area between its headquarters in Naperville and 45 stores and two distribution facilities.

Dallas -- Fast-casual bakery concept Corner Bakery Café said Thursday it has executed a deal with a franchise group to open the chain’s first restaurants in the Pacific Northwest beginning in 2013.

Northwest Bakery Cafe, a group of restaurant operators that owns 95 Jack in the Box locations, is slated to open 18 Corner Bakery franchised restaurants in and around Seattle over the next seven years.

Baton Rouge, La. -- Cafeteria-style restaurant chain Piccadilly Restaurants filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Friday, citing a breakdown in talks with its lender Atalaya Capital Management.

Atalaya had recently purchased part of Piccadilly’s debt, which hasn’t been quantified by the chain.  

Piccadilly was given a commitment for debtor in possession financing of up to $5 million, providing the company with ample liquidity, Piccadilly said.

Oak Brook, Ill. -- McDonald’s Corp. reported Tuesday that same-store sales overall increased 3.7% in the month of August.

By segment, same-store sales rose 3% in the U.S., 3.1% in Europe, and a hearty 5.7% in Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa.

Systemwide sales for the month increased 1.2%.
 

Vancouver, Wash. -- The international arm of Take-and-bake pizza operator Papa Murphy’s announced Monday it has signed a master franchise agreement with MAM Foodco to open 100 locations throughout the Gulf Cooperation Council.

The first location, which marks the chain’s debut outside North America, is slated to open in Dubai, UAE, before the end of 2012.
 

Dallas -- PeopleAnswers and Real Mex Restaurants said Thursday the pair has executed a software licensing agreement that will bring the PeopleAnswers HR solution to Real Mex for pre-screening, selecting and hiring managers.