HOUSTON – (Realty News Report) – Hines and Ivanhoé Cambridge announced that a major Chicago-based restaurant group leased 8,000 SF for two new restaurants at Texas Tower, a 47-story office tower under development in Downtown Houston.
The restaurant firm, called What If Syndicate, is led by two-time Michelin-starred chef, Danny Grant.
The Texas Tower, a 1 million-SF Class AA office building being constructed on the site of the former Houston Chronicle building, a downtown block bounded by Texas, Milam, Travis and Prairiestreets.
The restaurant group will occupy 6,410 SF on the first floor for a restaurant called “etta” – described as a neighborhood restaurant featuring locally sourced, wood-fired dishes.
etta favorites include fire baked focaccia, ricotta with honey & truffle, an array of seasonal pizzas and delicious handmade pastas. This marks the ninth signed etta location and will be the fifth open. The group has also committed to a second concept yet to be announced that will occupy 2,000 SF in Texas Tower’s pavilion area.
“With the goal of providing a curated F&B program to the north side of Downtown and surrounding community, we are thrilled to welcome What If Syndicate not only to Houston but, also, to Texas Tower. As a world-class operating partner focused on what really matters, their concept etta will deliver an unparalleled experience highlighted by great food and great service,” said John Mooz, Senior Managing Director at Hines. “We’d like to thank Kenton McKeehan with the Hines Retail Resources Group for his help in facilitating this deal.”
This office tower is redefining space in the heart of Downtown Houston, and with the addition of these two restaurant concepts, it will become one of Houston’s premier dining destinations serving our tenants and other locals throughout the greater Houston Community.
“What If Syndicate pushes the boundaries of hospitality and service and its new restaurant concepts are a key addition to our offering for our guests at Texas Tower,” said Jonathan Pearce, Executive Vice President, Leasing and Development, Office and Industrial, North America at Ivanhoé Cambridge.
“We are thrilled to enter one of the nation’s most diverse and prominent food cities and continue the expansion of our etta brand across the country,” said David Pisor, partner at What If Syndicate. The new restaurant is slated to open in February 2022.
The Texas Tower, expected to open later this year, was designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli.
The building is placed diagonally on the site resulting in a powerful civic presence and unparalleled view corridors throughout the tower. The building is located across the street from the 75-story JP Morgan Chase & Co tower, which was developed by Hines.
Texas Tower is 40 percent leased with tenants including Hines, Vinson and Elkins and DLA Piper law firms. Hines will be moving its HQ from Williams Tower in The Galleria to the downtown Texas Tower.
In 2015, Realty News Report reported in an exclusive story that a Hines-led group was working to buy the Chronicle’s downtown property for more than $50 million. After selling the downtown property, the newspaper moved to the old Houston Post building near Loop 610 after selling the downtown property.
As Houston’s newest building, Texas Tower will feature unprecedented amenities in the vertically integrated campus, including: a dramatic lobby with cues from the hospitality sector; multiple food and beverage offerings; abundant spaces for networking; a full-service conference facility; public gardens on level 12; and a health club. Ten-foot, full-height windows will allow for an abundance of natural light across the 30,000-SF floor plates and a sophisticated underfloor HVAC system. Protruding, cantilevered bays on each face of the floorplate project away from the building providing opportunities for dramatic internal stairs, atriums and communal spaces, as well as potential access to fresh air and outdoor green space.
Hines and Ivanhoé Cambridge were represented by Crystal Allen with Transwestern, while What If Syndicate was self-represented.
June 21, 2021 Realty News Report Copyright 2021
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Image: Courtesy Hines
File: Michelin Star Chef Opening 2 Spots in New Hines Texas Tower. File (2) .Danny Grant, Michelin Star Chef Opening 3 restaurants. Hines. John Mooz. Transwestern. Crystal Allen.