A former Perkins restaurant in Hamburg that lost its franchise has been sold to an Amherst restaurateur, who plans to open his second Asian-themed eatery at the McKinley Parkway location.
Ming Li, owner of Kyoto Japanese Restaurant at 4060 Maple Road, has acquired 4245 McKinley Pkwy., paying $925,000 through A&J Ming LLC to buy the real estate, equipment and assets, said Jim Geiger, director of business development at McGuire Development Co., who brokered the deal.
Li and his wife bought it from The Restaurant Group LLC, a Rochester-based former franchisee of the Perkins Restaurant and Bakery chain. Geiger said Li plans a second restaurant but it won’t be the same format as Kyoto, which opened several years ago in a former Bennigan’s restaurant location next to Red Robin. Neither Li nor the general manager of the new restaurant could not be reached for comment.
“I’m excited about the possibility of a new restaurant opening at the Hamburg location,” Geiger said.
This is the second of six former Perkins locations in the Buffalo and Rochester areas that are being sold by The Restaurant Group and listed through Geiger. The firm, which held the rights to the Perkins brand in Central and Western New York for the past 10 years, abruptly lost its franchise agreement with Memphis-based Perkins & Marie Callender’s LLC in May over lapsed franchise payments and a failure to adhere to operating standards, the parent company said at the time.
Perkins said in May that it had tried to work with the franchisee, co-owned and run by Philip C. Gelsomino II, but wasn’t satisfied with the Rochester group’s performance. The Restaurant Group had already closed the Hamburg restaurant in January on its own, before the company yanked the franchise, but six others closed after the termination.
“All of these properties are positioned in prime locations with plenty of parking and customer access,” Geiger said.
So far, he sold one in Penfield, outside of Rochester, in addition to the Hamburg site. He’s still seeking buyers for a property on Transit Road in Amherst and another on Military Road in the Town of Niagara, as well as two more in the Rochester suburbs of Gates and Greece. All are free-standing buildings that are identical in size and design, with 5,791 square feet of space and seating for 210 to 240 people.
“We’ve had some interests and activity in the other four locations, and I’m in the middle of interviewing people and showing them the property,” Geiger said.
Founded in 1958, Perkins operates more than 440 restaurants in 34 states and five Canadian provinces, but mostly in Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida and Pennsylvania. It has reduced its footprint in New York State, however. It still has a corporate-owned restaurant in Olean, and also has locations in Cortland, Middletown, Newburgh, Plattsburgh, Wappinger Falls and on Staten Island in New York City. It has 52 restaurants in Pennsylvania, 16 in New Jersey and 30 in Ohio.
email: jepstein@buffnews.com
Ming Li, owner of Kyoto Japanese Restaurant at 4060 Maple Road, has acquired 4245 McKinley Pkwy., paying $925,000 through A&J Ming LLC to buy the real estate, equipment and assets, said Jim Geiger, director of business development at McGuire Development Co., who brokered the deal.
Li and his wife bought it from The Restaurant Group LLC, a Rochester-based former franchisee of the Perkins Restaurant and Bakery chain. Geiger said Li plans a second restaurant but it won’t be the same format as Kyoto, which opened several years ago in a former Bennigan’s restaurant location next to Red Robin. Neither Li nor the general manager of the new restaurant could not be reached for comment.
“I’m excited about the possibility of a new restaurant opening at the Hamburg location,” Geiger said.
This is the second of six former Perkins locations in the Buffalo and Rochester areas that are being sold by The Restaurant Group and listed through Geiger. The firm, which held the rights to the Perkins brand in Central and Western New York for the past 10 years, abruptly lost its franchise agreement with Memphis-based Perkins & Marie Callender’s LLC in May over lapsed franchise payments and a failure to adhere to operating standards, the parent company said at the time.
Perkins said in May that it had tried to work with the franchisee, co-owned and run by Philip C. Gelsomino II, but wasn’t satisfied with the Rochester group’s performance. The Restaurant Group had already closed the Hamburg restaurant in January on its own, before the company yanked the franchise, but six others closed after the termination.
“All of these properties are positioned in prime locations with plenty of parking and customer access,” Geiger said.
So far, he sold one in Penfield, outside of Rochester, in addition to the Hamburg site. He’s still seeking buyers for a property on Transit Road in Amherst and another on Military Road in the Town of Niagara, as well as two more in the Rochester suburbs of Gates and Greece. All are free-standing buildings that are identical in size and design, with 5,791 square feet of space and seating for 210 to 240 people.
“We’ve had some interests and activity in the other four locations, and I’m in the middle of interviewing people and showing them the property,” Geiger said.
Founded in 1958, Perkins operates more than 440 restaurants in 34 states and five Canadian provinces, but mostly in Minnesota, Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida and Pennsylvania. It has reduced its footprint in New York State, however. It still has a corporate-owned restaurant in Olean, and also has locations in Cortland, Middletown, Newburgh, Plattsburgh, Wappinger Falls and on Staten Island in New York City. It has 52 restaurants in Pennsylvania, 16 in New Jersey and 30 in Ohio.
email: jepstein@buffnews.com
