Japanese Cheesecake Shop Opening First NYC Location in Theater District
By Nicholas Rizzi January 23, 2019 3:38 pm
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Popular Japanese bakery Uncle Tetsu plans to bring its cheesecakes to New York City for the first time later this year, Commercial Observer has learned.
Uncle Tetsu signed a seven-year lease for 1,000 square feet in Tribeca Associates’ 135 West 41st Street between Broadway and Avenue of the Americas, according to brokers on the deal. Asking rent was $250 per square foot and the bakery plans to open in the spring.
“Known for hours-long lines at its bakeries around the world, Uncle Tetsu is bound to be just as big of a hit with New Yorkers,” Peter Braus of Lee & Associates NYC, who represented the landlord in the deal, said in a statement. “This building is incredibly active right now, with [the addition of] Junzi Kitchen, a growing Chinese noodle eatery set to open directly adjacent to Uncle Tetsu in the first quarter of 2019.”
Braus brokered the deal along with colleagues Mark Kapnick, JP Sutro and Richard Kave while Hiroshi Nagata and Maki Yamamoto of Sumitomo Real Estate handled it for Uncle Tetsu. Nagata and Yamamoto did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Uncle Tetsu was founded in 1985 by Tetsushi Mizokami in the Hakata district of Fukuoka, Japan, according to its website. It became known for its handmade cheesecakes with the Uncle Tetsu character—a smiling character of Mizokami with a chef’s hat—stamped on top and eventually opened outposts in Taiwan and China.
The chain has more than 80 locations around the world and opened its first U.S. location in Arcadia, Calif. in 2016, Eater Los Angeles reported. Uncle Tetsu also has locations in San Mateo, Calif., Torrance, Calif. and Honolulu.
