The new group is part of the Staubach retail services division and will serve national restaurant and entertainment firms that operate in multiple locations by assisting with expansion planning, national rollouts, design and development consulting, disposition and management, and other real estate services.

Kjos, who carries the title of executive vice president and national director of the new seven-member team, tells GlobeSt.com that Staubach has been entertaining the idea of such a specialty group for about two years, but wanted to wait until "our skill set and knowledge came to a point" where the time was right to launch the group.

The restaurant industry today is facing some of the toughest times in the past 20 years, says Kjos, a 22-year Staubach veteran who was managing principal of the western region. "After 9/11, the restaurant industry went into a slump, so decisions today are more critical than they have been in a long time," Kjos says. "The key to the business today is not making mistakes--a company can have three good restaurants, but if it opens in a bad location, the bad one can neutralize the good ones." Staubach's intent is to provide advice that will help restaurant and entertainment companies find the good locations and avoid the bad ones.

Besides restaurant companies, the group will advise companies that operate a variety of entertainment venues, such as miniature golf courses, water parks and other ventures like Austin's Park and Pizza, The family entertainment and restaurant company is due to open its first location this month on a 22-acre site in Austin. The venue will feature miniature golf, Go-Kart racing tracks, bumper boats, baseball batting and golf driving ranges, laser tag, a rock-climbing wall and a children's play land.

Kjos notes Staubach already represents a host of entertainment and retail clients through the existing retail services division. Among these are AMC Theaters, Brinker International, Benihana restaurants, Dave & Buster's, Disney Regional Entertainment, ESPN Zone, FOX Sports Grill, NBA City, Smith and Wollensky and YUM! Brands.

The group starts with seven members, but Kjos also will be drawing on the experience of nearly 85 Staubach retail brokers around the country. He says the group is expected to add another seven members by the end of the year, both from within and outside the company. The team also includes John Few in Newport Beach; Greg Roth in Boca Raton, FL; Stephanie Lipp in Atlanta; John Artope and Jason Puig in Dallas; and Ron Dohanick in Portland.