CRAVE Opening Second Florida Location

South Florida's Prestigious Coral Gables Suburb Will Be Home to 6th CRAVE Restaurant

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Aug 05, 2010, 08:00 ET

MINNEAPOLIS, Aug. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- CRAVE, one of the fastest growing restaurant concepts in Minneapolis, is expanding its fresh, vibrant and contemporary American fare and sushi to South Florida's beautiful and historic city of Coral Gables.

The Coral Gables CRAVE will be located at the Village of Merrick Park (358 San Lorenzo Ave.), a luxury shopping and dining destination with anchor stores Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, and boutiques including Anthropologie, CH Carolina Herrera, Diane von Furstenberg, Gucci, Jimmy Choo, and more. CRAVE is scheduled to open there in early 2011.

"The Coral Gables community is a great fit for the CRAVE concept," said Kam Talebi, Owner and CEO of CRAVE. "We've worked hard to find sites where our brand of food-focused, chic yet comfortable dining experiences will resonate, so we knew without hesitation that the Village of Merrick Park was right for us."

CRAVE's steady growth in upscale retail districts began when it opened its first location at the Galleria in Edina, Minnesota in 2007. In 2009, two additional locations were added – one at Mall of America, the other at The Shops at West End in St. Louis Park, MN. In April, CRAVE opened its first Florida location in Orlando near the Mall at Millennia, and plans are underway for a fall opening of CRAVE in the Midtown Crossing at Turner Park development in Omaha, Nebraska.

"As a company, we are really focused on careful, measured growth as we introduce our brand to strategic national markets," said Talebi. "We take great care to build one restaurant at a time, making sure every last detail meets our standards, starting with location to menu to fixtures to staffing the right managers, servers and chefs. Each element is critical to providing the kind of hospitality and experience we want our guests to expect from CRAVE."

CRAVE delivers an extensive menu with a reasonable price point in a chic environment. Menu items range from a full sushi bar and certified Angus beef to wood-fired pizzas, pastas and salads that are continually changing with the freshest seasonal ingredients.

"CRAVE will be a great addition to the Village of Merrick, their extensive menu and chic environment is a style that resonates with many and will be a major draw to shoppers and diners alike," said Lee Davidson, Senior General Manager of Village of Merrick Park. "CRAVE is an ideal fit for the Village of Merrick Park and will be a fantastic addition to the center; we are thrilled for CRAVE to be expanding to this location."

For more information about CRAVE, visit www.CRAVEamerica.com.

About CRAVE

CRAVE fulfills the vision of a vibrant restaurant where the cuisine, service, atmosphere, energy and value are second to none. CRAVE offers fresh and innovative cuisine along with an impeccable wine selection brought to life in a chic yet casual atmosphere. A grand sushi bar extends the dining experience, appealing to both traditional sushi lovers and adventurous epicureans alike. CRAVE has three Minnesota locations, recently opened in Orlando, and is scheduled to open this fall in Nebraska. At each location patrons enjoy a familiar yet unforgettable dining experience. For more information, visit www.CRAVEamerica.com

About Village of Merrick Park / General Growth Properties

Village of Merrick Park is owned and/or managed by General Growth Properties, Inc. GGP currently has ownership interest in, or management responsibility for more than 200 regional shopping malls in 43 states, as well as ownership in planned community developments and commercial office buildings. The company's portfolio totals approximately 200 million square feet of retail space and includes over 24,000 retail stores nationwide. The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol GGP. For more information, please visit the company web site at http://www.ggp.com

SOURCE CRAVE