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Business Journals
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Journals
Cava, Van Leeuwen, Mendocino Farms to join Willis Tower food-hall tenant lineup
Story Highlights Willis Tower's Catalog food hall adds three new restaurants to its lineup. Mendocino Farms and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream will make their debut in the Chicago market. Willis Tower's appraised value has declined to $1.03 billion. Several new restaurants will be moving into the Willis Tower later this year, adding to the offerings at one of downtown's premier food halls. Catalog at Willis Tower — a 300,000 square-foot, five-story dining, retail and entertainment offering that opened at the base of the tower in 2022 — will be adding three eateries to its lineup. Cava, a Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant, signed the largest of the three recent leases. GET TO KNOW YOUR CITY Find Local Events Near You Connect with a community of local professionals. Explore All Events GET TO KNOW YOUR CITY Find Local Events Near You Connect with a community of local professionals. Explore All Events 'When we designed Catalog, our intention was to curate an array of offerings unique to the Loop neighborhood,' said Morgan Monroe, vice president of leasing for Perform Properties, in a statement. Perform, a Blackstone Inc. company, handles leasing and management for Willis Tower, which is owned by Blackstone. Cava, which will occupy 3,156 square feet at Chicago's tallest tower, is expected to open in late 2025. Elsewhere in Chicago, the fast-casual restaurant has a location in Wicker Park. The two other eateries — Mendocino Farms and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream — are making their debut in the Chicago market with the Willis Tower leases. "Breaking into the Midwest with Chicago as our first stop just feels right," said Ben Van Leeuwen, CEO and co-founder of Van Leeuwen, in a statement. The New York City ice cream parlor's first Chicago scoop shop will be a 1,712-square-foot space at Catalog, and it's expected to open later this summer. Mendocino Farms, a California-based sandwich and salad restaurant, will likewise be making its introduction to Chicago with its 3,012-square-foot space, which is expected to open in October. Mendocino Farms' technology at its first Chicago outfit will include its first kiosk-supported concept, providing a stop-and-go option for downtown workers. Still struggling compared to most other major U.S. cities, foot traffic at Chicago office buildings was down 44.3% in April 2025 compared to April 2019. Office landlords have been looking for new ways to bring tenants back, including through amenity offerings like retail and restaurants. A recent appraisal of Willis Tower found the value of the iconic tower has substantially declined. Its new appraised value of $1.03 billion, according to Morningstar, is a 42% drop from the tower's last appraisal in 2018, when it was appraised at $1.78 billion during a loan refinancing. Blackstone paid $1.3 billion for Willis Tower in 2015. In 2022, Blackstone completed a $500 million investment at Willis Tower, which included the addition of Catalog. Sign up for the Business Journal's free daily newsletter to receive the latest business news impacting Chicago.
Business Wire
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Wire
CAVA, Mendocino Farms, and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Coming to Willis Tower
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Perform Properties today announced that Catalog at Willis Tower, the 300,000 square feet, five-story dining, retail, and immersive-entertainment experience located within the base of the iconic tower, has signed leases with popular eateries: CAVA, Mendocino Farms, and Van Leeuwen Ice Cream. The new retailers join a collection of vibrant merchants at Willis Tower, further elevating the building as a modernized workplace and community destination in the heart of downtown. 'When we designed Catalog, our intention was to curate an array of offerings unique to the Loop neighborhood,' said Morgan Monroe, Vice President of Leasing for Perform Properties. 'We are proud to add CAVA, Mendocino Farms, and Van Leeuwen to the mix, furthering our commitment to delivering an unmatched experience for our tenants and visitors.' Learn more about Catalog at Willis Tower's new food and beverage experiences below: CAVA CAVA, the category-defining Mediterranean fast-casual restaurant brand, will be located in Catalog's main entrance on Jackson Boulevard occupying 3,156 square feet of space. It is expected to open in late 2025 and will be the retailer's first location within the Loop. "CAVA's concept of serving satisfying flavors rooted in Mediterranean hospitality and human connection make us a great fit for Catalog at Willis Tower, where Chicagoans can gather for a shared meal." said Gino Carlin, Regional Director at CAVA. 'We are thrilled to welcome more of the Chicago community to our table and will continue to deliver our mission of bringing heart, health, and humanity to food as we grow our presence in this market.' Mendocino Farms Known for its diverse menu of farm-fresh, chef-crafted sandwiches and salads that celebrate each season's best flavors, California-based Mendocino Farms has landed in Chicago. Prominently situated on Wacker Drive, the location will be 3,012 square feet of space and feature a patio. The restaurant is expected to open in October 2025 and will be the second location in the city offering Chicagoans opportunities to eat well without sacrificing big, bold flavors. The store will be Mendocino Farms' first kiosk-supported concept, a move the brand is excitedly embracing as it looks to incorporate new technology into its out-of-this-world hospitality. 'At Mendocino Farms, we bring our guests on unexpected culinary adventures served with our 'Eat Happy' philosophy. As our team shares our passion for great food with our new neighbors in Illinois, we'll be introducing kiosk-enabled options at Willis Tower for the first time so our guests can spend less time ordering and more time connecting,' said Kevin Miles, CEO of Mendocino Farms. 'We look forward to introducing Chicago to our gourmet sandwiches, salads, and more like the 'Not So Fried' Chicken Sandwich and Spicy Curried Couscous - whether picking up lunch for the office or enjoying a meal in our restaurants.' Van Leeuwen Ice Cream Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, the NYC born and nationally beloved ice cream brand known for its made-from-scratch dairy and vegan ice cream, will open its first scoop shop in Chicago in late Summer 2025. Van Leeuwen began as a yellow scoop truck on the streets of NYC in 2008. Its French-style ice cream (made with more than double the amount of egg yolks as standard ice cream) quickly gained a loyal following. They are known nationally for creative seasonal flavors with a genuine focus on good ingredients and no unnecessary stuff, and for out-of-the-box limited-edition collaboration flavors such as Hidden Valley Ranch, Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, BIGFACE Coffee Affogato in partnership with NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler and Espresso ice cream in partnership with singer/songwriter Sabrina Carpenter. Located along Franklin Street and accessible within Level 1 of Catalog, the shop will be 1,721 square feet. The store is expected to open later this year, and additional locations in Chicago will be announced. Ben Van Leeuwen, CEO and co-founder of Van Leeuwen said: 'Breaking into the Midwest with Chicago as our first stop just feels right. We're not just opening another shop; we're bringing our obsession with making the absolute best ice cream possible to a community that really gets food.' The eateries join Catalog's impressive line-up of dining options, including Rick Bayless' Tortazo, Lettuce Entertain You's Sushi-San, Sweetgreen, Shake Shack, Do-Rite Donuts & Chicken, and Brown Bag Seafood Co, among others. Visit for more information. About Perform Properties Perform Properties is a Blackstone Real Estate portfolio company focused on high-performing retail and office properties with People-Appeal. With expertise in transactions, development, leasing, and management, the company oversees over 33 million square feet of retail and office properties across the US. Learn more: About Willis Tower Located in the heart of downtown Chicago, Willis Tower is an iconic urban destination and state-of-the art, human-centered workplace. Standing at 1,450 feet and 110 stories, Willis Tower is one of the world's tallest buildings—offering the region's most breathtaking views of the city and Lake Michigan. The 103 rd -floor Skydeck attracts approximately 1.3 million visitors annually. In 2022, the tower completed a $500 million restorative street-to-sky transformation that included the addition of Catalog, a 300,000 square-feet curated dining, entertainment and community experience, as well as a 30,000 square-foot outdoor terrace and 150,000 square feet of tenant amenity spaces. Today, Willis Tower is a world class destination to work, dine and experience the best of Chicago. The recipient of numerous accolades, in 2023 Willis Tower was awarded the American Institute of Architects (AIA) National Interior Architecture Award. Willis Tower is also the largest building in the country to have achieved LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. For more information, visit or connect on Facebook or Instagram.
