(KATY) – There will be several summer openings at Katy Grand as three new-to-Texas restaurants and two other dining concepts put finishing touches on spaces in Fort Bend County’s top-ranked destination development.
The Texas newcomers are Uncle Tetsu, specializing in signature Japanese cheesecakes, Wushiland Boba, featuring hand-shaken teas, and 8 oz. Korean Steak House & Bar, offering an authentic ethnic barbecue experience. Also coming soon will be Patis & Toyo, a new brand-new Filipino concept by Houstonian restaurateurs Mike and Marit Gabriel, and Fat Boys Pizza, which has tapped Katy Grand for its second pizzeria in Texas.
“This is the first time we’ve had five openings in such a short time span,” said Rebecca Le, senior vice president of Houston-based NewQuest Properties. She and Heather Nguyen, a development partner, are the driving force behind the line-up of tenants.
Landing Uncle Tetsu was a three-year undertaking. Founded in Hakata, Japan, in 1985, the dessert chain expanded to the U.S. in 2016 and now has 11 locations in California.
“We chose this location because it is a part of one of the newest, largest and most exciting Asian inspired shopping centers in Texas,” says Laura Lund, senior regional real estate manager for Panda Restaurant Group, an Uncle Tetsu franchisee.
Katy Grand, totaling 944,803 sf, is a 21.7-acre dining and entertainment destination anchored by PopStroke and a 19-screen HD Cinemark. To date, NewQuest has attracted 12 leading brands that are new to Texas, including Michelin-starred Tim Ho Wan, to the development.
“Once Uncle Tetsu committed to coming to Texas, they knew pretty quickly that Katy Grand should be the first location in Houston,” Le said. “They saw the brands we have and how well everyone was doing.”
More than 200,000 vehicles per day pass Katy Grand, which is situated at the crosshairs of Interstate 10 and TX 99/Grand Parkway. According to Placer.ai, the development drew an estimated 171,000 visitors in April, many of whom made multiple visits.
Katy Grand’s cultural diversity is a magnet for ethnic brands interested in expanding to Texas. The five-mile trade area boasts 321,287 residents, of which 45.9 percent are Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic.
Like Uncle Tetsu, Wushiland Boba set down its first U.S. roots in California, where it has opened five stores since 2016. Founded in 1994, it is the leading beverage company in its native Southern Taiwan. Katy Grand will be its Texas inroad.
Katy Grand will be the second location for 8 oz. Korean Steak House & Bar, a popular Las Vegas dining attraction since 2017. It is slated to open mid-summer.
The staggered openings will get underway in late May, with Patis & Toyo first out of the chute.
Louisiana-based Fat Boy’s Pizza will be the last to open.
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