Ross, El Patron additions to fill La Cueva center
Discount retailer to open soon; restaurant requires renovations
La Cueva Town Center at Wyoming and Paseo del Norte NE is getting a couple of new additions, including a second location of El Patron, complete with a drive-through and patio.
Also, the Ross Dress for Less “Coming Soon” sign is about to come down as the store gets ready to open.
El Patron owners Nick Kapnison and Jimmy Daskalos have leased the property once occupied by Whataburger at the La Cueva Town Center. Whataburger left the space in late 2016.
Kapnison and Daskalos intend to renovate it with a patio and updated drive-through to make the location a “smaller version of El Patron Restaurant” at Montgomery and Morris NE, according to Jim Dountas of CBRE, the leasing agent for the property.
Renovations will begin “within the next couple of weeks,” Dountas said.
Kapnison and Daskalos also own Nick and Jimmy’s Restaurant, Mykonos and several other restaurants in the Albuquerque area.
La Cueva Town Center is also about to see a Ross Dress for Less open in a junior box space between Smith’s and Big 5.
Ross is approaching the completion of its tenant improvements. The company could not be reached to say when the store will open, but La Cueva Town Center will be at full capacity when it does. It will be the seventh Ross Dress for Less location in Albuquerque and Rio Rancho.
The 23,000 square-foot space was leased by Ross after Office Max left in late 2015. The space was on the market for “about four months” before Ross leased it, according to Dountas.
Though retail nationwide may be struggling to stay afloat, Dountas told the Journal that leasing retail space for the La Cueva center was not difficult. “It’s a great property at a great intersection. It’s all highly sought-after space. There were no issues (finding tenants) at all.”
The shopping center also houses smaller retailers and restaurants such as Starbucks, Keva Juice, Great Clips and The UPS Store, as well as standalone restaurants Chili’s Grill & Bar, IHOP and Dion’s.