Acclaimed Executive Chef Ronnie Killen has acquired a second restaurant property in the Woodlands, gaining a permanent home for a busy pop-up barbecue pit and letting him reclaim outdoor space at his nearby popular steakhouse.
The new Killen's Texas Barbecue restaurant will open in the summer at 8800 Six Pines Dr. in Shenandoah. The 4,249-sf structure, situated on a 1.4-acre tract, will undergo extensive renovation inside and out. The site is located across the street from Killen's Steakhouse, which opened in spring 2019.
"The Killen's Texas Barbecue pop-up is only open on weekends. Demand is so high that the line of customers usually wraps around the steakhouse," says J.J. McDermott, a vice president with Houston-based NewQuest Properties. He and Jon Jamison, also a vice president, represented Killen's Restaurant Group in the transaction.
The Woodlands will be the second location for Killen's Texas Barbecue, established in 2013 in the renowned chef's hometown of Pearland, Texas. Killen is a 2018 recipient of a James Beard Award and considered one of the 12 best chefs in the Southwest. His portfolio of five restaurant concepts also includes burgers, Tex-Mex and STQ, a steak-and-barbecue combo.
The just-bought site is known locally as Culver's restaurant, but that is destined to change as Killen puts his brand on two neighboring properties along one of the busiest roads in the 28,000-acre Woodlands. It's less than one mile to the Woodlands Mall and Interstate 45.
"We had several opportunities in the Woodlands. At the end of the day, this was the best option," McDermott says, "because Killen's has an established presence at this location."
The property went on the market in 2018 just prior to Culver's restaurant closing. The strength of the site was a strong attraction for investors and dining operators alike. When a recent contract fell out, Killen's moved in to make the close.
"We got lucky. The timing worked out just right," McDermott says. "It's a great site."
Construction on the building and grounds will get underway in the coming weeks. Outdoor smokers will be added and the patio expanded.
Seller PDQ Texas RE Woodlands LLC was represented by Josh Jacobs of Edge Realty Partners.
SOUTH TEXAS SALE
Killen's Restaurant Group has acquired a 4,249-sf structure on 1.4 acres at 8800 Six Pines Dr., Shenandoah, from PDQ Texas RE Woodlands LLC. J.J. McDermott and Jon Jamison of NewQuest Properties represented the buyer. Josh Jacobs of Edge Realty Partners represented the seller.
SOUTH TEXAS LEASE
Pool Porters has leased 2,100 sf of retail space in Chambers Town Center, located at the intersection of Interstate 10 and TX 146, Baytown, from NewQuest Properties. Austen Baldridge and Bob Conwell of NewQuest Properties represented the landlord. Brittany Roca of Rob Roca Realty Group represented the tenant.
NewQuest Properties, founded in 2001, is a privately owned, full-service commercial real estate firm specializing in development, land brokerage, leasing, tenant representation, investment sales and property management services. Headquartered in Houston, NewQuest owns a portfolio encompassing more than 60 retail and mixed-use projects valued at $2.2 billion and provides leasing services for more than 12 million square feet of commercial space in Texas, Louisiana and throughout the U.S.
