NewQuest Properties is bracing for a whirlwind summer of openings at Katy Grand as three new-to-Texas restaurants and two other dining concepts put finishing touches on designer spaces in Fort Bend County’s top-ranked destination development.
The Texas newcomers are Uncle Tetsu, specializing in signature Japanese cheesecakes; Wushiland Boba, featuring hand-shaken teas; and 8oz. Korean Steak House & Bar, offering an authentic ethnic barbecue experience. Also coming soon will be Patis & Toyo, a new brand-new Filipino concept by Houstonian restaurateurs Mike and Marit Gabriel, and Fat Boys Pizza, which has tapped Katy Grand for its second pizzeria in Texas.
“This is the first time we’ve had five openings in such a short time span,” says Rebecca Le, senior vice president of Houston-based NewQuest Properties. She and Heather Nguyen, a development partner, are the driving force behind the unique line-up of tenants.
Landing Uncle Tetsu was a three-year undertaking. Founded in Hakata, Japan, in 1985, the dessert chain expanded to the U.S. in 2016 and now has 11 locations in California.
“We chose this location because it is a part of one of the newest, largest and most exciting Asian inspired shopping centers in Texas,” says Laura Lund, senior regional real estate manager for Panda Restaurant Group, an Uncle Tetsu franchisee.
Katy Grand, totaling 944,803 sf, is a 21.7-acre dining and entertainment destination anchored by PopStroke and a 19-screen HD Cinemark. To date, NewQuest has attracted 12 leading brands that are new to Texas, including Michelin-starred Tim Ho Wan, to the development.
“Once Uncle Tetsu committed to coming to Texas, they knew pretty quickly that Katy Grand should be the first location in Houston,” Le says. “They saw the brands we have and how well everyone was doing.”
More than 200,000 vehicles per day pass Katy Grand, which is situated at the crosshairs of Interstate 10 and TX 99/Grand Parkway. According to Placer.ai, the development drew an estimated 171,000 visitors in April, many of whom made multiple visits.
Katy Grand’s cultural diversity is a magnet for ethnic brands interested in expanding to Texas. The five-mile trade area boasts 321,287 residents, of which 45.9% are Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic.
Like Uncle Tetsu, Wushiland Boba set down its first U.S. roots in California, where it’s opened five stores since 2016. Founded in 1994, it is the leading beverage company in its native Southern Taiwan. Katy Grand will be its Texas inroad.
Katy Grand will be the second location for 8 oz. Korean Steak House & Bar, a popular Las Vegas dining attraction since 2017. It is slated to open mid-summer.
The staggered openings will get underway in late May, with Patis & Toyo first out of the chute. Louisiana-based Fat Boy’s Pizza will be the last to open.
The five new tenants have leased a combined 12,809 sf. Details for each transaction are:
▪ 8 oz. Korean Steak House & Bar, 4,971 sf, with NewQuest’s John Nguyen as tenant
representative;
▪ Fat Boys Pizza, 3,850 sf, with Bryan Ashby and Thomas Nguyen of CBRE representing
the tenant;
▪ Patis & Toyo, 1,533 sf, with Albert Hu of NextGen Real Estate as its broker;
▪ Wushiland Boba, 1,405 sf, the result of direct negotiations with Katy Grand’s leasing
team;
▪ Uncle Tetsu, 1,050 sf, with Le representing the landlord and Nguyen along with
NewQuest’s new broker, Holly Nguyen, as tenant representatives.
“Katy Grand is literally a melting pot of international brands. It’s always busy,” Le says. “Houston’s foodie groups are always talking about our great concepts and soon there will be more.”
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 100 retail and mixed-use projects exceeding $2.3 billion in value and provides leasing services for more than 12 million square feet of commercial space in Texas, Louisiana, Arizona, Georgia and throughout the U.S.
