THE PRAKAS GROUP, INC. OF BOCA RATON EXPANDS TO ORLANDO

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BOCA RATON & ORLANDO, FL – A successful local restaurant brokerage plans to add some spice to the flavorful dining and entertainment menu of Central Florida. Athan “Tom” Prakas of The Prakas Group, Inc., a full service commercial real estate brokerage specializing in restaurant and nightclub sales and leasing, has expanded the company beyond its Boca Raton headquarters into Orlando. The Prakas Group, Inc. has opened a new office location at 7380 Sand Lake Center, Suite 500, Orlando.

            “This is a natural progression for us,” comments Prakas, the company’s president and broker who started his brokerage firm in Boca Raton in 2000. “We have experienced unbelievable growth in the South Florida market and look forward to bringing our wealth of business brokerage and commercial real estate services to the Orlando area. We’ve placed the majority of restaurants and nightclubs in the hottest areas of the tri-county area, and after six years of success we are ready to extend our talents.”

            Prakas continued, “The Orlando market is booming and vibrant. Everyone who is anyone in the restaurant business wants to be there. With forty million visitors a year and 1.5 million residents and growing, it’s a virtual goldmine of an area. In our opinion, the market is under-served in restaurant/nightclub brokerage and business brokerage. We are steaming full speed ahead on this new location. We have high hopes and big plans.”  

            Prakas broker James Layson will be heading up the new office. Says Prakas, “Jim will be a great force in the Orlando market. We have worked together over the last 20 years dating back to Atlanta.  Working together as a team, we look to grow in the Central Florida market for years to come.” The company will hire two to three agents for the office to start, and then expand as needed.

            One of the strongest reasons to support the company’s expansion is its exclusive representation relationship with several restaurant companies looking to expand into Orlando.

The Prakas Group exclusively represents local restaurateur Peter Tsialiamanis of Taverna Opa, and already has a deal simmering for the Greek restaurant’s expansion into Orlando, a potential 7,000 SF lease on International Drive. For another exclusive client, Pano Karatassos of Buckhead Life Restaurant Group, Prakas has a lease out for 9,000 square feet for a new Chop’s Lobster Bar, which he brought to Boca Raton earlier this year. The Restaurant People (Tarpon Bend) and Dave Manero of Gotham City, Shore and Sopra fame, are also seeking Orlando sites through The Prakas Group.

            One of the reasons for Prakas’ success is his uncompromising strategy of hiring brokers with restaurant and business background. James Layson has over 20 years experience in the hospitality industry.  He started his career in the Atlanta / Buckhead market, which was a trend setter for urban entertainment districts across the country.  Prakas says, “Having worked in every facet of the business, from entry level to management and ownership, James has a vast understanding of the challenges a successful restaurant, nightclub, or any hospitality venue might encounter. In addition to sales and leasing, he will be providing services including site selection, permitting, licensing, design and layout.” Since relocating to South Florida from Atlanta, Layson has used his experience to become one of the leading restaurant/nightclub specialists in the area.  His client list hails from Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York, Boston, Atlanta, and Europe.

            Tom Prakas himself has over 25 years of experience in the restaurant and nightclub industry as an owner/operator, and has applied this hands-on experience to providing added value for his clients.  He has owned and operated 27 restaurants, nightclubs and sports bars throughout the last two decades throughout Ohio, Atlanta, GA, and South Florida.  Locally, he was the originator of alternative music clubs in Palm Beach, with the establishment of The Dark Side in Delray Beach and Moscow in West Palm Beach.  He also owned and operated The Spot, a sports/rock café in West Palm Beach, and brought the popularity of cigar smoking to Boca Raton by establishing The Cigar Bar.

            The Prakas Group has brokered some of the most lucrative and innovative restaurant and nightclub concepts in South Florida, with transactions along the popular Clematis Street in West Palm Beach, Palm Beach Gardens, Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach, Boca Raton, the Las Olas Blvd. area of Fort Lauderdale, and South Beach in Miami.

The Prakas Group, located at 705 East Palmetto Park Road, is on track to close over $300 million in sales over a six-year period. Clients of The Prakas Group include Taverna Opa, Gusto’s Grill & Bar, Burton Handelsman, MDN Properties, Rodney Mayo, Tarpon Bend Restaurants, Gotham City, Dave Manero Restaurants and Mama Mia’s, just to name a few. For more information, contact The Prakas Group at (561) 368-0003, or visit the company’s website at www.prakasgroup.com.