The Shoppes Offers Sense of Place

CHINO HILLS, CA-As GlobeSt.com reported earlier, The Shoppes at Chino Hills here is enjoying success. It is currently 96% occupied, and the office component is 100% leased. GlobeSt.com recently caught up with Harald Herrmann, president of the Yard House restaurant chain—one of the longest-running tenants at the center—to discuss the restaurant's experience at The Shoppes and with the management firm, and what its plans are at the center for the future.

GlobeSt.com: As one of the original tenants at The Shoppes at Chino Hills, why did you choose this community and this center for one of your restaurants?

Harald Herrmann: First, we felt that Chino Hills was a great community to join, but we also felt that the center being put together had great synergies of co-tenancies. It was a gathering place with a sense of place in Chino Hills. This is important as to how we would place a Yard House. Unless there's some real engine next door to us, like L.A. Live or the Staples Center, it has to have a sense of place. A good center has to be balanced and kind of a gathering spot for the community, and we felt that The Shoppes would provide that.

GlobeSt.com: You're looking to expand your space at The Shoppes. What was the motivation for that expansion?

Herrmann: Our space at The Shoppes at Chino Hills is the smallest Yard House in the chain at 6,200 square feet. We feel that we're underutilized at that location, and we have had enough business that if we added some additional seating, we could support that. The center is growing and evolving, and not unlike the center, our business is also evolving, and we would welcome the opportunity to add additional seats. It's beyond the talking stages—architects are at work and some bids have been put together. The next step is another meeting with the landlords' reps to see how that ties back to our lease and our partnership in general. It's not a tremendous add as much as enclosing our patios and adding about 24 seats, 12 on either side of the patio. The building is not going to grow much bigger, but for us to be able to add 24 seats and enclose our patio gives us more flexibility to accommodate the needs of the community when it's too hot or too cold outside.

GlobeSt.com: What has it been like working with PM Realty Group?

Herrmann: That has really just started as a result of this exploration of adding a patio, but the experience has been very positive. The reps we have come in contact with are looking out for the needs of the businesses, not just their own, and I do feel that there is a partnership. I appreciate the flexibility and openness, the dialogue and the sensibility of the people with whom we have come in contact as a tenant. From what I have seen—I just worked a shift in Chino Hills a few weeks ago—and with my other hat on as a consumer, I like what they're doing with the co-tenancy mix and how the center is being positioned. I think that it's relevant and speaks to the sensibility on behalf of the management team that they're paying attention to what's happening out there in retail and on the food scene and are keeping The Shoppes relevant. It's a great community, and we're happy to be there. We believe it will continue to thrive.