Hu Kitchen Bringing Paleo/Primal Diet to UES
By Lauren Elkies Schram November 4, 2014 11:15 am
reprints
Paleo/primal diet eatery Hu Kitchen is opening a location on the Upper East Side, Commercial Observer has learned.
The new Hu, slated to open in summer 2015, will span roughly 7,000 square feet over three levels at 1536 Third Avenue next to AMC Loews Orpheum 7 between East 86th and East 87th Streets, according to the brokers on the deal.
“We looked all over for nearly a year,” said Jordan Brown, the co-founder and chief executive officer of Hu, in a prepared statement. “A few deals fell through, but we kept pushing. The Upper East [Side] is near and dear to our hearts. My sister, Jessica, and I spent half of our childhood just a few blocks south of the new location before we moved to Westchester. We’re beyond thrilled to be back. The vibe of the area is fantastic, and the people up there are awesome.”
Hu signed a 15-year lease for the 2,500-square-foot lower floor, 2,385-square-foot ground floor and 2,190-square-foot second floor on Oct. 27. The brokers in the deal declined to provide asking rents, but according to the listing, the asking rent for the ground floor was $225 per square foot.
Hu opened its first and only other location two years ago at 78 Fifth Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets.
Thomas Citron and Noah Birnbaum of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank represented the building owners Howard and Douglas McGee in the deal. Jason Pennington and Zach Nathan of Ripco Real Estate represented Hu Kitchen. The NGKF brokers also represented Capital One in a lease disposition and buy-out.
“This was an intricate transaction,” Mr. Citron said. “It required a disposition with the bank and a long-term lease with the landlord.”
Capital One controlled a triple-net lease for the whole building, Mr. Citron said. BNS Real Estate has a master lease on the two upper floors, which are 2,190 square feet each.
The area around East 86th Street and Third Avenue is seeing a lot of activity lately.
French bakery and bread maker Maison Kayser recently opened at 1535 Third Avenue between East 86th and East 87th Streets and Modell’s, the sporting goods chain, expanded at the same location. In addition, Whole Foods is coming to 87th Street and Third Avenue. Maison Kayser’s ground-floor asking rent was $250 per square foot, Crain’s New York Business reported in April.
