Calle Real Center Boosts Eatery Space
Rudy’s Restaurant Expanding; Spice Avenue, Backyard Bowls, Petrini’s Opening Second Locations
In a bright sign for the economy and appetizing move for area gourmands who prefer to dine out, five tenants have signed leases in Goleta’s 122,000-square-foot Calle Real Shopping Center, including four South Coast restaurants, it was announced Monday.
“Businesses are feeling more confident about the direction of the economy and you can see it in the increase in both traffic and sales at our retail centers,” said Traci Taitt, vice president of the Towbe’s Group Commercial Properties Management Division, who oversees a portfolio of 2 million square feet of office, industrial, and retail properties. “The best merchants are often those that live and work in the community and Calle Real has a great roster of locally owned businesses.”
The restaurants include Petrini’s, which has been operating in Santa Barbara since 1958. It has opened a second location after signing a lease to occupy 3,608 square feet in the Calle Real center.
Rudy’s Restaurant, a counter-service Mexican eatery and Calle Real tenant for several years, has signed a lease to relocate to a larger space within the center. The 2,350 square-foot location doubles the size of Rudy’s, allowing for table service dining and a full bar. The business will remain open in its existing location until just before the move, which is scheduled for next month.
Spice Avenue, a popular Indian Food restaurant, which has been operating on Santa Barbara’s State Street for eight years, will open its second location after signing a lease for 2,048 square feet in the Calle Real center.
Backyard Bowls has signed a Calle Real center lease for 1,088 square feet. The health food restaurant serves local, organically-grown food including their signature “Acai Bowls.” It is the second Santa Barbara area location for Backyard Bowls, which UCSB graduates Pete Heth and Dan Goddard founded.
And, JP Morgan Chase Bank opened a branch last month in the center near Trader Joe’s after signing a long term lease for 4,700 square feet.
The Calle Real center has more than 45 retail shops and restaurants in Goleta’s main retail corridor near the Santa Barbara Airport, UCSB, and Goleta’s industrial and office park sector.
Phillip Kyle of Epsteen & Associates represented the landlord on most of the recent transactions except Rudy’s, which was done in-house by Towbes. He also served as a dual agent for Backyard Bowls, Chase Bank, and Spice Avenue. Petrini’s was represented by Bob Tuler from Radius Commercial.
The South Coast Biz Blog is a roundup of the latest business news in the Santa Barbara area and is written by Ray Estrada, who has covered business in the region for numerous publications over the past couple decades. See more at independent.com/biz and wordpress.com/southcoastbizblog.
