New Orleans Staple Willie’s Chicken Shack Coming to Miami Beach
By Nick Trombola October 24, 2023 8:00 am
reprintsNew Orleans staple Willie’s Chicken Shack is bringing its fried chicken to Miami Beach, in one of the chain’s first forays outside its Louisiana hometown.
Willie’s signed a long-term lease for the corner retail space at 220 Española Way in South Beach, and plans to open next year, according to Inhouse Commercial. The asking price for the 2,749-square-foot space was $140 per square foot, according to Inhouse. The firm declined to disclose the length of the lease.
The Willie’s lease brings the 20,000-square-foot building, which is owned by Checo Acquisitions, to 100 percent leased, clearing the way for Inhouse Commercial Sales to market the retail property for sale, said founder Jared Robins. His father and uncle owned and refurbished the building, located several blocks south of Lincoln Road, in the early 2000s.
Willie’s will replace local souvenir shop Surf Style, occupying the building alongside La Leggenda Pizzeria and restaurant Serendipity 3.
Opened in 2012, Willie’s Chicken Shack has 10 locations throughout Downtown New Orleans and the city’s French Quarter. It opened its first non-New Orleans location in Key West, Fla., this past summer.
A few blocks south at 1000 Washington Avenue, luxury watch seller Jean Simonian hopes to replace a parking lot with a mixed-use development, according to a filing with the Miami Beach Commission last week.
Nick Trombola can be reached at NTrombola@commercialobserver.com.
UPDATE: This story has been updated to reflect that 220 Española Way is owned by Checo Acquisitions, and will be marketed for sale by Inhouse Commercial Sales. It is not owned by Inhouse, as previously stated.