June 2014
NAI Hiffman represents Blackhawk Restaurant Group in rollout of new cafe concept
NAI Hiffman is pleased to announce it is serving as the exclusive tenant representative for Blackhawk Restaurant Group as it introduces its latest concepts, Betty’s Bistro and Penny’s Place, across the Chicagoland area. The gaming-cafes pride themselves as a niche restaurant offering a convenient and welcoming place for people to enjoy lighter fare and have a drink with the added attraction of gaming machines. The high-quality and custom finishes used throughout its facilities create a casual, yet upscale eatery.
Michael Meksto, senior vice president, and Jim Tsevis, vice president, with NAI Hiffman’s retail services group, began working with Blackhawk Restaurant Group in January 2012 to start scouring the market for the best retail centers for the gaming bistro concept. In this time, Blackhawk Restaurant Group has already completed 73 transactions totaling 120,000 square feet. The locations cover the Chicagoland region including cities such as Addison, Bartlett, Cicero, Elk Grove Village, Hanover Park, Hoffman Estates, Joliet, Melrose Park, Oakbrook Terrace, and Villa Park, among many others.
“With NAI Hiffman’s retail team, we have been able to quickly secure highly desirable food and gaming-oriented locations to give us a strong presence with our rollout in Illinois, against the backdrop of rapidly expanding competition in the gaming-bistro space,” said Bruce Davis, Chairman of the Board with Blackhawk Restaurant Group. “We have already opened 35 locations and have experienced great success. Our goal is to have 100 total locations in Illinois by 2016.”
Michael Meksto and Jim Tsevis represented Blackhawk Restaurant Group in all transactions. Theresa Schulz, president and managing broker with Schulz Properties, worked in conjunction with NAI Hiffman to represent Blackhawk Restaurant Group in 15 of the transactions.
Mentioned in Bisnow