Black Bear Diner has retained JLL to facilitate a multiple location roll-out throughout Texas, starting with the Houston suburb of Katy. The California-based restaurant chain has signed a lease for a 5,400-square-foot free standing building at the Shoppes at Parkwest, 24600 Katy Freeway in Katy, Texas. The restaurant is expected to open in the second quarter of 2018.

Matt Parsons and Mark Raines are leading the JLL team on the project. The Retail Connection’s Stephen Tou and Zach Hoffer represented the landlord, Medistar Parkwest JV, LTD., in the transaction.

“Black Bear Diner is a fast-growing, community-oriented, family dining concept. Their mission and vision of serving home-style meals in a hospitable, family atmosphere are the perfect fit for Katy,” said Parsons. “We’re excited to bring Black Bear Diner to Texas and are confident they will be well received by guests.”

Founded in Mount Shasta, California, in 1995, Black Bear Diner offers comfort food classics and focuses on bringing personal service back to the dining experience. The brand is strategically growing its national footprint as it moves eastward. Black Bear Diner currently operates 94 locations in eight western states.

“Our Katy location marks an important development in our ambition to become a national family dining concept,” said Bruce Dean, chief executive officer of Black Bear Diner. “We’re excited to be in the great state of Texas, and even more excited to have our first location in the great community of Katy.”

With its high population growth and diverse consumer base, Houston has emerged as an attractive location for regional and national brands to expand. New-to-market retailers contributed to Houston’s record amount of retail activity throughout 2016 and into this year. In the first quarter of 2017, Houston’s retail market recorded 628,160 square feet of positive net absorption and an overall vacancy rate of 5.1 percent, according to JLL research.

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