Sizzler USA is crossing the border.
The Culver City-based restaurant chain known for its salad bar, seafood and steaks, will open its first of four franchised locations in Mexico City and Acapulco within a year.
Grupo Payger, the franchisor and operator of the Mexican restaurant Las Gaoneras with locations around Mexico and in San Antonio, Texas, will franchise Sizzler and expects to expand the chain in coming years to at least 10 restaurants in Morelos, Queretaro, Puebla, Hidalgo, and Estado de Mexico.
“About 48 percent of our guests in Southern California are Hispanic and they are very loyal customers to Sizzler,” said Todd Peterson, vice president of franchise development at Sizzler. “The burgeoning middle class in Mexico is very attractive. And Mexico’s close proximity to Southern California also makes it geographically attractive to us.”
Sizzler has about 310 restaurants worldwide including 12 in Puerto Rico. Further expansion into Latin America is possible but not yet planned, said Peterson.
The Mexican locations will be full-service restaurants and will differ from American restaurants in that they will have full bars and some traditional Mexican menu items.
Grupo Payger operates several hotels and other restaurant concepts in Mexico, manages hospitality and retail-related real estate holdings, and distills and distributes tequila under multiple brand names.
Odd Molly
Swedish clothing company, Odd Molly, is opening its U.S. headquarters and first office abroad in Los Angeles where inspiration for its bohemian-chic style clothing was derived.
Co-founder and designer Per Holknekt lived in L.A. during the first half of the 80s when he was a professional skateboarder here. “We chose Los Angeles instead of New York because in essence, the whole spirit of the brand is from Southern California. L.A. shaped my whole mentality and lifestyle,” he said.
The company sells its handmade wares in 34 nations around the world in 1,200 fashion boutiques and is expected to bring in $17.5 million this year, up from 8 million in 2006.
Shortly before the opening of the U.S. office, Holknekt and the other co-founder and designer Karin Jimfelt-Ghatan listed the company on the Swedish stock exchange.
“We didn’t have enough to finance the growth from one season to the next,” said Holknekt.
In the L.A. area, the clothes are sold at Anthropologie, Fred Segal, and a number of independent shops in Malibu, Santa Monica, and other upscale shopping locations.
The 25,000-square-foot U.S. headquarters in the Garment District’s Cooper Building will house administrative staff and a show room.
Strip Deal
SBE Entertainment, owned by nightlife kingpin Sam Nazarian, completed the acquisition of its first hotel in Las Vegas.
With financial backing from Stockbridge Real Estate Funds SBE purchased the Sahara Hotel & Casino from Gordon Gaming Corp. for an undisclosed price. SBE announced plans to upgrade the property with new food and beverage offerings, entertainment and improved service.
“Our Hotel Group and Restaurant & Nightlife Group, with their successful track records in property repositioning, are focusing their efforts on creating a location that will change the landscape of the northern Strip,” Nazarian said in a statement.
SBE has assumed management of the hotel and its food and beverage operations through its subsidiary, SBE Hotel Group. Navegante Group will operate the casino.
Executive Musical Chairs
Los Angeles-based real estate development firm Lowe Enterprises is keeping it in the family.
Robert J. Lowe Jr., son of the founder Robert Lowe, has been promoted to president and chief operating officer of Lowe Hospitality Group, the firm’s national hotel, resort and resort residential community arm.
Lowe has been with the company since 1992 and in 2003 was named president of Lowe Destination Development, the developmental services division of the hospitality group which now has $2 billion in projects underway around the country. He will continue in that position in addition to his new role.
Lowe will oversee all of the company’s hotel and resort projects across the country, with specific emphasis on the 102-acre Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes that is under construction and a 6,400-acre resort 80 miles outside of Seattle called Suncadia.
He said he sees his biggest challenge to expansion in the troubled housing and residential lending market.
“At the moment, the biggest challenge we have is dealing with the slowdown in the residential market which impacts our second home sales,” said Lowe. “It will impact us to a lesser extent on the hospitality operation side unless it turns into a larger recession. That is to be seen.”
Staff reporter Sarah Filus can be reached at (323) 549-5225, ext. 235, or at
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