There is no space available for restaurants in Western New York State. It is either that, or the brokers and project leasing teams are not interested in telling anyone about their available spaces.
As a business publication that is largely about restaurant expansion and real estate opportunities, many of our subscribers are the landlords, leasing representatives and brokerage firms that want information on potential tenants. They want to know what restaurant concepts are looking in their area and they want to know what they require. And that is what we do. But the Restaurant & QSR Expansion Report has become more than just a publication ‘about restaurants for landlords’.
Over the years, as more and more restaurant companies have become subscribers, the publication has become something of a ‘networking tool’, a publication not only about restaurants but for restaurants too. Like the property owner sourcing potential tenants, the restaurant companies are also counting on the publication to keep a close eye on what the industry and their category is up to and they are able to learn a little more about the ‘hot properties’ and the growing markets.
In an effort to give our readers more of what they want, that is business opportunities, earlier this year we proposed a ‘Report on the Available Restaurant Space in Western New York State’ that would be published in early April. And it was no coincidence that the International Council of Shopping Centers is holding an Upstate NY Idea Exchange in Rochester, New York on April 22nd and 23rd, a deal making gathering for the shopping centers industry.
In February, we communicated with a large number of landlords and active brokerage firms both in and operating in the area announcing our intentions. We invited them to submit information on their available restaurant space which we would include in the report. And, by the way, this opportunity to present their available space to a waiting audience was free! There were no charges, fees, hooks, fine print or surprises.
To say that the response was low is an understatement. Only a handful of people recognized the value of participating, of displaying their opportunities to an expansion-minded audience.
With time fast running out, we are now at the ‘go-no-go’ stage. Unless our In Box fills up in the next few days, the number of submissions on hand does not warrant a full blown ‘Special Report’ as we had envisioned. We will, however, be including those submissions that fit the requirements in one of the regular Restaurant & QSR Expansion Report issue in mid-April.
It’s not too late. If you have space in your project ear-marked for restaurant use, let us know about it. Send it to [email protected] …………….WP