Jason's Deli, Chipotle, Mama Fu's headed to new East El Paso shopping center
Aug 14, 2012 (Menafn - El Paso Times - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) --Jason's Deli, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Mama Fu's Asian House, Menchie's frozen yogurt, Dunkin' Donuts and McDonald's are headed to a unique-looking shopping center under construction at Rojas and George Dieter on the far East Side.
"We bought the property a little over a year ago. This intersection is one of the most highly trafficked corners in El Paso," said Adam Frank, president of River Oaks Properties, which is developing the Rojas Commons shopping center.
The center, expected to be completed in late fall, sits on 5 acres and will have 35,000 square feet of store and restaurant space in five buildings.
It's located near Las Palmas Marketplace and near several other restaurants, which, Frank said, is a plus for the
new center.
"We spent extra money fluffing up the design," which features an exterior of stone and canopies, Frank said. It's a much different design than other strip centers in El Paso, he said.
Frank declined to divulge the cost of the project.
"The location and design mattered to the tenants," Frank said. Two of the restaurants -- Jason's Deli and Mama Fu's -- are new to El Paso.
Brian Padilla, managing partner for Food Management Partners of San Antonio, which has the El Paso and New Mexico franchise rights for Mama Fu's, said the Rojas Commons location is ideal for the group's first Mama Fu's.
"This area has great residential and business presence," Padilla said.
Mama Fu's is a small, Austin-based
chain that's begun spreading its reach. It's quick-casual for lunch and a full-service, sit-down restaurant for the evening. Its menu features five Asian categories: Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean.
"The Asian food segment has a lot of opportunity; it's starting to grow," Padilla said.
Padilla is familiar with this area. He lives part-time in Las Cruces and his company operates two Buffalo Wild Wings restaurants in El Paso, and one in Las Cruces. It operates about 50 Buffalo Wild Wings and Zio's Italian Kitchen restaurants nationwide, he said.
Mama Fu's is scheduled to open by mid-November, Padilla said.
It will be in a building where the other tenant will be Chipotle, a Denver-based chain known for its gourmet burritos. It drew a line of about 100 people when it opened its first El Paso location in March at 2900 N. Mesa, across from the Don Haskins Center at UTEP.
The other newcomer to El Paso will be Jason's Deli, a Beaumont, Texas-based chain with more than 230 locations in 28 states, according to its website. If offers a large menu of sandwiches, soups, salads and other food items.
The only announced non-restaurant tenant for the center is Verizon Wireless, which will have a store located in a building with Dunkin' Donuts.
The largest building in the new center will be 13,800 square feet and will have a row of stores and service providers. Menchie's frozen yogurt will be in that building.
"We have letters of intent for more than half the spaces" in that building, including a bank, Frank said. "We only have a few spaces left."
Vic Kolenc may be reached at vkolenc@elpasotimes.com; 546-6421. Follow him on Twitter @vickolenc.More information: ropelpaso.com
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