The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, Racherito’s, and Wildside Bowls Now Open at Valley Grove
All three groups, together with six additional restaurant and fitness concepts, now open at mixed-use business community developed by St. John Properties, Inc.
PLEASANT GROVE, UT (July 15, 2024) – The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill, Racherito’s, and Wildside Bowls are now open at Valley Grove, a mixed-use business community located in Pleasant Grove, Utah. The quick-service restaurants signed leases with St. John Properties, Inc. for a combined 5,498 square feet of space at 758 S North County Boulevard within the 130-acre development, located directly adjacent to both Interstate 15 and Pleasant Grove Boulevard. Together with the latest signings of Club Pilates, MilkShake Factory, Shamrock Coffee, Sip-N Drinks & Coffee, The Smoked Taco and Wayback Burger, St. John Properties has recently attracted nine new retailers to Valley Grove, totaling more than 16,730 square feet of space.
Wildside Bowls was born out of necessity when its founder, after being diagnosed with breast cancer, abruptly eliminated sugar from her diet and searched for a substitute to satisfy her cravings for sweet-tasting snacks and foods. “Following research on how to improve my food choices and eating habits, I started experimenting with bowl recipes in my kitchen and quickly learned I was pretty good at it,” explained Tami Haycock, who opened her first store in Draper in 2021. “Family members, friends, and others started asking for the items and, it wasn’t too long before I decided that this could be a long-term and viable business option. I mourned sugar for a period of time but also found a viable alternative that improved my overall health.”
Featured menu items include acai, pitaya, coconut, and Blue Majik bowls, topped with fresh strawberries, pineapple, mango, and bananas. “Every item is made-to-order in the store, using all-natural and healthy ingredients, which differentiates us from the national brands which use pre-packaged products,” Haycock added. “And, at 32 ounces, our customers regularly make bowls their lunch or early dinner. Valley Grove represented the next natural step in our expansion plan given the new-age style buildings and young professionals and entrepreneurs working there. Young people especially are increasingly aware of and discerning about what food they consume, and we offer the natural ingredients and freshness they are looking for.” The store opened in May and employs 20 to 30 workers. Cameron Simonsen of Colliers International represented the tenant in this transaction.
The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill is a fast-casual concept known for its authentic meals created from classic family recipes. Menu items range from classic Greek salads topped with gyro meat, shrimp, or a lamb skewer, to entrées such as grilled chicken, grilled steak, Australian lamb, and garlic shrimp souvlaki. Owner Cassidi Garrard, who opened her first Utah-area restaurant in Draper last fall, said the restaurant “has something for everyone including wide selections for vegans, vegetarians, and pescatarians, as well as those with a gluten intolerance.” The restaurant employs approximately 15 people. “The Great Greek Mediterranean Grill is differentiated by our local ownership and mission to prepare all meals from scratch and in-house. Patrons will immediately notice the difference that this makes with our attention to detail and commitment to provide a memorable, extremely diverse, and healthy experience. We are very impressed with the upscale environment, range of different audiences and long-term prospects for growth at Valley Grove, and wanted to be part of this business community,” Garrard added. “Our goal is to bring a new dining option to Utah County and Valley Grove is the perfect place for our next expansion.” Jace Bankhead of Legend Partners represented the tenant in this transaction.
The Valley Grove restaurant is Rancherito’s 21st location in Utah. Specializing in authentic Mexican food, menu items include quesadillas, enchiladas, burritos, tacos, tortas and chimichangas but, according to Jonathan Aleman, the restaurant is best known for its signature Carne Asada fries. “We use a special recipe to prepare these crispy baked French fries and this is our most popular dish by far,” Aleman said. Another differentiating factor is Rancherito’s hours of operation, with the restaurant open 24 hours they serve meals for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and any late night appetite cravings. “Valley Grove is positioned at a tremendous intersection, which will make access to our restaurant extremely easy,” Aleman added. “We are amazed at how much the business community has grown in the last few years, and there is considerable room for additional expansion. There is just so much activity occurring here.” Christopher Wilson of CRC Nationwide represented the tenant in this transaction.
St. John Properties’ investment in Valley Grove is expected to surpass $1.2 billion upon final build-out. The mixed-use community is configured to support more than 1.5 million square feet of Class ‘A’ office, flex/R&D and retail space, as well as a full-service hotel. The business community currently features Grove Tower, a six-story building containing nearly 190,000 square feet of office space; Valley Grove I, a six-story, 165,000 square foot building; Valley Grove II and Valley Grove III, two five-story buildings comprising 140,000 square feet of space each. Last year, St. John Properties revealed plans for the Phase VI portion of Valley Grove, a 47-acre addition featuring commercial office and retail space, as well as luxury residential product.
Existing restaurants and retailers at Valley Grove include AT&T, Café Rio, Da Cloud Boba Shoppe, Jersey Mike’s Subs, Kolache Krave, R&R BBQ, Starbucks Coffee, Slim Chickens, Verizon, and Village Baker. A 34,000 square foot Tesla dealership is also contained within the business community.
More than 225,000 vehicles pass Valley Grove via Interstate 15 on a daily basis, with an additional 60,000 vehicles driving by the site each day from Pleasant Grove Boulevard. The business community is situated 12 miles from Provo, 25 miles from Interstate 215, 35 miles from Salt Lake City and Salt Lake International Airport.
“The recent retail leasing activity at Valley Grove significantly upgrades the food options at the business community and demonstrates the continuing strong demand for new restaurant options in this section of Utah County,” explained Daniel Thomas, St. John Properties’ Regional Partner, Utah. “We are particularly pleased that these concepts are owned and operated by local and highly-successful entrepreneurs which bring a higher level of energy and sense of commitment to the operations. Restaurants, as well as boutique fitness concepts such as Club Pilates, offer tremendous value to business communities by driving unique traffic, activating spaces, and extending consumer dwell time.”
Founded in 1971, St. John Properties, Inc. is one of the nation’s largest and most successful privately held commercial real estate firms. The company is distinguished by its commitment to customer service, achievements in green building, and top-rated workplace culture. Throughout St. John Properties’ 53-year history, the company has developed more than 24 million square feet of flex/R&D, office, retail, and warehouse space, and has investments in over 3,000 residential units. The company proudly serves more than 2,600 clients in Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Utah, and Wisconsin. For more information about the company, visit www.sjpi.com.