Hill Management Services also announces property upgrade strategy commencing in May
Kung Fu 12 Szechuan, a new restaurant specializing in Szechuan cuisine has signed a lease with Hill Management Services, Inc. for 3,700 square feet of completely new retail space at Galleria Atrium in the Lutherville section of Baltimore County. Owned and operated by Gong Hou, the restaurant is expected to open on April 14. It joins Plato’s Closet, a national retail resale store which opened at the mixed-use building late last year. Danielle Bridge, Leasing Representative at Hill Management Services, represented the landlord and Brian Chen of Commercial Real Estate Services of Maryland represented the tenant in this transaction.
This represents the first Baltimore County location for Kung Fu 12 Szechuan, which has operated a site in the Clarksville section of Howard County for more than two years. The Clarksville location draws customers from Baltimore County who are delighted to hear of his expansion into this area. The restaurant will feature a range of traditional Szechuan and Chinese dishes including Kung Pao Chicken, Chong Qing Spicy Chicken, Hunan Beef, Baby Bok Choy with mushroom and Shrimp Lo Mein. Mr. Hou managed a four-star hotel in Beijing, China, which also had a restaurant, for many years before moving to the United States and owns a total of four other restaurants in the U.S.
According to Hou, the Szechuan pepper is an integral ingredient in the restaurant’s dishes due to the “intense, fragrant and citrus-like flavor that produces a tingly and numbing sensation in the mouth.” He adds that this spice contains many different minerals, antioxidants and nutrients that the body requires to properly function.
“I worked as a software engineer when I came to the United States but, when I got married in 2016, my wife expressed how much she missed traditional Szechuan-style food from her hometown,” Hou explained. “So, I started to learn how to cook and opened our first location in Howard County. People embraced the food and, because I have many friends in the Timonium area of Baltimore County, I wanted to establish a second location so they could more easily enjoy our menu items without traveling too far. We specialize in beef noodle soup, and the new restaurant at Galleria Atrium will feature homemade dumplings and special sauces.”
The restaurant is located at 1427 York Road at the prime corner of York Road and Seminary Avenue, between Galleria Atrium, a three-story office building consisting of nearly 76,000 square feet and Galleria Towers, a 114,000 square foot office building. More than 114,000 people reside within a five-mile radius of the center with an average household income exceeding $76,000. Nearly 39,000 vehicles pass the site from York Road on a daily basis. One retail vacancy consisting of 2,430 square feet remains in the center.
Hill Management Services also revealed plans to initiate a property renovation strategy at Galleria Atrium beginning this May, with completion scheduled for mid-summer. The improvements will focus on adding a new canopy structure and awnings, installing new LED lighting and updating the façade with a variety of finishes including modern composite wood paneling.
“Restaurants remain the most prolific traffic generators to retail centers and, in Kung Fu 12 Szechuan, we have attracted a fresh concept that provides differentiation in the York Road marketplace,” explained Danielle Beyrodt, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Hill Management Services. “Our team is extremely impressed with the way Gong Hou has established a highly-successful, impeccably clean, authentic Szechuan concept in the competitive Howard County restaurant environment. The food is extremely high quality and Gong Hou is a hands-on operator. We are confident they will carve out a loyal following at Galleria. The complete overhaul of this restaurant space and the upcoming improvements to the center demonstrates our commitment to continually re-invest in our properties to the benefit of all tenants.”
Founded in 1976, Hill Management Services, Inc. is a privately-owned, full-service real estate development company. Located in Timonium, Maryland, Hill Management owns more than four million square feet of office, industrial and retail space as well as several hotel and self-storage facilities. Hill Management Services seeks to provide long-term investments, exceptional customer service, and develop long-lasting tenant-landlord relationships. For more information visit www.hillmgt.com
Renderings for renovation of Galleria Atrium
