Cafe R&D Gets Prized Site for Texas Inroad

DALLAS-One of the region’s most prestigious shopping meccas, the Plaza at Preston Center, is being expanded to accommodate Houston’s sister in its first bid to test the market outside Southern California. A 40-year ground lease is backing the play.

The plaza’s owner, buying some abutting tracts for parking, is in the process of scraping the former Momo’s Italian Specialties and plans to rebuild the expanded site with a 4,804-sf freestanding restaurant for Cafe R&D. The 167,631-sf retail center, which historically runs at 100% occupancy, has four restaurants, with Houston’s as the only freestanding model in the lineup. Momo’s vacated in May 2005 when its lease expired and talks were underway with Houston’s parent, confides Dennis Leibovitz, executive vice president for Dallas-based Retail Connection.

“I’d been tracking it for Houston’s for three years,” Leibovitz tells GlobeSt.com. “All restaurateurs would like to find a place in the plaza.” He says the Beverly Hills, CA parent’s MO is to secure trophy sites, then decide which concept gets the dirt.