French-Style Cafe Maman to Make Florida Debut
By Julia Echikson September 7, 2023 10:51 am
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Maman, the popular French cafe started in New York, is making its way south, with plans to open three locations across South Florida, Commercial Observer has learned.
The first — and largest — location on the docket will be at the Sentral Wynwood residential development, according to Brand Urban, the real estate brokerage that represented Maman. Located at 51 NW 26th Street, the 4,202-square-foot restaurant is slated to open this winter and will function as a flagship location, housing an all-day cafe and bakery, as well as a pastry production kitchen for the South Florida region. The asking rent stood at $80 per square foot.
Founded by husband-and-wife duo Benjamin Sormonte and Elisa Marshall in New York’s SoHo neighborhood nearly a decade ago, the all-day cafe concept has grown to 31 locations across the Northeast and Canada. Maman, which means “mother” in French, sells quiches, salads and pastries. The Florida cafes mark the brand’s first venture into the South.
Maman’s second Miami location will launch at 136 Miracle Mile in Coral Gables, a wealthy Miami suburb. The 2,616-square-foot outpost will open at a single-story building owned by Stephen Bittel’s Terranova, which represented itself during lease negotiations.
Up north in West Palm Beach, Maman inked a 2,000-square-foot lease at 477 S Rosemary Avenue, inside Related Companies’ mixed-use The Square development. The street is home to popular South Florida establishments such as Pura Vida and The Salty Donut.
Taryn Brandes and Emily Green of Brand Urban represented the tenant in all three transactions, in addition to Michael Sullivan of Vertical, who’s based in Miami.
In Wynwood, Brand Urban’s Christine Nebiar and Alex Yanoff represented developer Iconiq Capital as part of the brokerage’s national consultancy deal for Sentral’s retail portfolio. Brand Urban also partnered with BM2 Realty’s Gaston Miculitzki in the Maman Sentral transaction on behalf of the landlord.
In West Palm Beach, Acre’s Marty Arrivo and Liz Higgins represented the landlord. The leases for both the West Palm Beach and Coral Gables locations have 10-year terms and had asking rents of $75 per square foot.
More is yet to come. Maman owners are now negotiating for additional leases in Miami, said a spokesperson for Brand Urban.
Julia Echikson can be reached at jechikson@commercialobserver.com.
