3 Nostalgic Restaurant Chains Find New Life Through Expansion

Nine months after Simon launched an ’80s- and ’90s-reminiscent Meet Me @the Mall consumer campaign, Chuck E. Cheese is rolling out an adult-focused arcade concept, and Chi-Chi’s is soliciting crowdfunders who want to bring back the restaurant, which last operated 21 years ago. Both tickle the nostalgia bone of modern-day adults who celebrated childhood birthdays chowing on Chuck E. Cheese’s renowned pizza and teen birthdays feasting on the famous Chi-Chi’s fried ice cream. Meanwhile, the Roy Rogers quick-service chain, which brings forth not only ’80s fond memories of its Fixin’s Bar but also ’40s and ’50s memories of the King of the Cowboys, is riding down its own expansion path once again.

Chuck E. Cheese Adds Adult Appeal With Chuck’s Arcade Format

Chuck E. Cheese has opened around a dozen Chuck’s Arcade locations at malls in Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma, Missouri, New Hampshire, New York and Texas. The next location will open soon at Simon’s Brea Mall in California, and more arcades are on the way.

Chuck E. Cheese said the adult-targeted arcade format “combines classic games and the hottest new games alongside iconic animatronic characters.” David McKillips, president and CEO of Chuck E. Cheese parent company CEC Entertainment, said: “Chuck E. Cheese has spent decades mastering the arcade experience — it’s in our DNA.”

Chi-Chi’s Eyes Comeback With Crowdfunding and Franchise Push

Armed with cash it’s collecting through the StartEngine crowdfunding platform, a new company is bringing back the Chi-Chi’s Mexican restaurant chain. As of today, Chi-Chi’s Restaurants had raised more than $1.6 million from over 1,260 investors toward its goal of $3.5 million.

At its peak, Chi-Chi’s operated more than 200 restaurants. Founded in 1975, the chain folded in 2004 following a bankruptcy filing and a hepatitis outbreak, Restaurant Business reported. Amid that chaos, Chi-Chi’s shut down its remaining 65 restaurants, according to the media outlet.

Now, Chi-Chi’s is wading back into a Mexican restaurant market in the U.S. that, according to market research firm IBISWorld, was valued at $103.4 billion in 2024.

Michael McDermott, son of Chi-Chi’s co-founder Marno McDermott, is CEO of the company resurrecting the concept. The revival will launch with two new locations in Minnesota this year and encompass a potential national expansion driven by franchisee- and company-owned restaurants. McDermott worked out a deal with Hormel Foods, owner of the Chi-Chi’s trademarks, to once again roll out the Chi-Chi’s brand on brick-and-mortar restaurants. “We have seen the impact our restaurant has had on individuals and families across the country,” said McDermott, “and believe there is a strong opportunity to bring the brand back in a way that resonates with today’s consumer — an updated dining experience with the same great taste and Mexican flavor.”

Roy Rogers Rides Again With New Locations and Loyal Fans

Western-themed Roy Rogers was another ’80s favorite, but it was founded back in 1968. Its locations numbered 648 in 1990. Then Hardee’s purchased it and converted and sold more than 500 locations. After a “reboot” and expansion over the past 20 years, the chain has reinvigorated its franchise push, and New Jersey, in particular, is pretty excited about it.

The state once hosted more than 100 Roy Rogers restaurants, including three in Cherry Hill, according to NJ.com. A June 25 grand opening brought the chain back to the area for the first time in decades. There now are three Roy Rogers in New Jersey and 40 locations total. NJ.com reported that on opening day, customers in Cherry Hill lined up more than 10 hours before opening. “This new location signals the chain’s exciting return to the Southern New Jersey and Philadelphia markets since the 1980s,” the chain said.

Ram Realty Picks Up $200M Grocery-Anchored Portfolio Across the Southeast

Real estate investment manager Ram Realty Advisors has acquired a portfolio of seven grocery-anchored centers in Florida, North Carolina and South Carolina for $200 million. Anchors at these properties, which total about 600,000 square feet, are Harris Teeter, Sprouts Farmers Market, The Fresh Market and Whole Foods Market.

Ram principal Brian Maloney, former vice president of real estate at Whole Foods, was a key player in the off-market purchase. “This investment reinforces our strategic focus on essential retail in high-demand Southeast markets,” said Maloney. “We believe grocery-anchored retail continues to benefit from attractive sector fundamentals driven by strong tenant demand and limited new supply.” The portfolio boasts an occupancy rate of 98.7%. Ram specializes in grocery-anchored, mixed-use and multifamily in the Southeast.

Simon’s Southeast Interest Grows With Brickell City Centre Buyout

The Ram Realty deal follows another recent major investment in the Southeast. Simon, which owned 25% of the 500,000 square feet of retail and parking at Miami’s Brickell City Centre, has bought out its co-owner, Swire Properties. The REIT paid as much as $548.7 million for the 75% stake, according to Reuters.

Tanger president and CEO Stephen Yalof, whose company operates primarily outlet centers, has a message for retail developers: Scrutinize every square foot of space to produce a “layered” shopping destination. In a column published this week by Fast Company, Yalof wrote: “Developers have to create environments that will get people out of their homes and into centers, underscoring the need for a destination where guests can enjoy great experiences, not just a place to purchase goods.” The shopping centers of today and tomorrow must concentrate “holistically on what consumers crave,” he wrote.

3 Construction Projects Reshape Retail in Texas, Massachusetts and Kansas

Fields West in Frisco, Texas, has finalized a large construction loan, while an obsolete factory in Massachusetts north of Providence, Rhode Island, finds new retail life and a Wichita, Kansas, mall goes the other way, revitalizing itself by adding industrial uses and some office.

Fields West Secures $425M Construction Loan To Advance North Texas Development

The 55-acre Fields West development in North Texas closed on a $425 million loan from Bank of America, JPMorganChase and Prosperity Bank on July 1. And just two business days earlier, on June 27, the city of Frisco executed the sale of $70 million of municipal bonds for the project. Fields West sits within the 2,500-acre Fields development.

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“Closing on a construction loan this size demonstrates that kind of trust in our incredible development,” said Fehmi Karahan, president and CEO of lead developer The Karahan Cos. “I can’t wait to see buildings coming off the ground early this fall.”

Fields West’s 350,000 square feet of shopping, dining and entertainment and 325,000 square feet of office is 70% pre-leased. The project will host Texas’ first Bloomie’s and Dallas-Fort Worth’s first Mastro’s Steakhouse. Other tenants will include Alo Yoga, Arhaus, Kendra Scott, Pottery Barn, Sephora, Williams Sonoma, Mexican Sugar, Sixty Vines and Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar.

Massachusetts Factory Site Will Transform Into Retail Incubator With Shipping Containers

Demolition has begun on an abandoned factory site now owned by the city of Taunton, Massachusetts. In its place, RSCI Property is building an outdoor plaza populated with 20 repurposed shipping containers that will house retail, a brewery/distillery and an amphitheater. Construction is set to finish in 2026. RSCI lead developer Joseph Holdiman told the Taunton Daily Gazette his company will dedicate much of the nearly four-acre plaza to “retail incubator space featuring burgeoning entrepreneurs.” Tenants lined up so far include an ice cream shop, a cafe, a jewelry store, a leather goods manufacturer, an outdoor yoga space and several men’s and women’s clothing outlets.

Former Kansas Mall Will House Industrial, Office and R&D Tenants

The recently shuttered Towne West Square mall in Wichita, Kansas, is undergoing a $35 million transformation into a 60-acre business park. Industrial Realty Group and Provider Real Estate Partners recently bought the bulk of the property.

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Dillard’s Clearance, JCPenney and Boulevard Theatres are set to remain open, according to the Wichita Business Journal. The rest of the site will switch from retail to office, light industrial, advanced manufacturing, research-and-development and flex space, PREP said. Wichita Business Park will offer 500,000 to 600,000 square feet of leasable space. Construction is scheduled to begin this summer, said PREP, and the first tenants are expected to occupy space in the first quarter of 2026.

—Additional reporting by C+CT editor-in-chief Amanda Metcalf