HOUSTON – (Realty News Report) – Acclaimed Chef Ronnie Killen has acquired a second restaurant property in The Woodlands, gaining a permanent home for pop-up barbecue operation and letting Killen reclaim outdoor space at his nearby popular steakhouse.
The new Killen’s Texas Barbecue restaurant will open in the summer at 8800 Six Pines Dr. in Shenandoah. The 4,249-SF structure, situated on a 1.4-acre tract, will undergo extensive renovation inside and out. The site is located across the street from Killen’s Steakhouse, which opened in 2019.
“The Killen’s Texas Barbecue pop-up is only open on weekends. Demand is so high that the line of customers usually wraps around the steakhouse,” says J.J. McDermott, a vice president with Houston-based NewQuest Properties. McDermott and Jon Jamison, also a vice president, represented Killen’s Restaurant Group in the transaction.
The Woodlands will be the second location for Killen’s Texas Barbecue, established in 2013 in the renowned chef’s hometown of Pearland. Killen is a 2018 recipient of a James Beard Award and considered by some to be one of the 12 best chefs in the Southwest. His portfolio of five restaurant concepts also includes burgers, Tex-Mex and STQ, a steak-and-barbecue combo.
The recently-acquired site has been known locally as Culver’s restaurant. Seller of the Culver’s site, PDQ Texas RE Woodlands LLC, was represented by Josh Jacobs of Edge Realty Partners
Killen will put his brand on two neighboring properties along one of the busiest roads in the 28,000-acre Woodlands. It’s less than one mile to the Woodlands Mall and Interstate 45.
“We had several opportunities in the Woodlands. At the end of the day, this was the best option,” McDermott says, “because Killen’s has an established presence at this location.”
The property went on the market in 2018 just prior to Culver’s restaurant closing. The strength of the site was a strong attraction for investors and dining operators alike. When a recent contract fell out, Killen’s moved in to make the close.
“We got lucky. The timing worked out just right,” McDermott says. “It’s a great site.”
Construction on the building and grounds will get underway in the coming weeks. Outdoor smokers will be added and the patio expanded.
June 22, 2020 Realty News Report Copyright 2020
