For retail and restaurant brands
Opening in Southern California.
We run site searches and lease negotiations for chains, franchisees and regional brands opening in Orange County, Los Angeles and the Inland Empire.
Your real estate team in Southern California
Parker & Associates has represented retail tenants since Dan Parker founded the firm in Orange County in 1995. Clients have included In-N-Out Burger, Chick-fil-A and Men's Wearhouse, along with regional restaurant groups and operators opening their first location.
One broker runs your search across every market you name, tours with you, and negotiates each lease. Noah Stegman runs searches and leases for brands and for property owners, and Dan Parker brings three decades of relationships with Orange County shopping center owners.
How an expansion search works
- 01
Market plan
We start from your real estate criteria: size, frontage, parking, drive-through or patio, co-tenants you want and the ones you avoid, and the sales a store needs to work. Then we rank Southern California trade areas against it, using Census household data, daytime population, traffic counts and existing locations of your competitors.
- 02
Site survey
A list of every space that fits, on market and off. Off-market space comes from landlords and leasing agents we work with in Orange County, including suites that are about to come back because a tenant is leaving.
- 03
Tour package
For each shortlisted site: aerial and site plan, the neighboring tenants, asking rent and NNN, utilities, signage rights, and the zoning path for your use. You tour the strongest few with us.
- 04
LOI and lease
We negotiate the letter of intent and work the lease with your attorney: rent, TI allowance, free rent, exclusives, co-tenancy, radius, signage, delivery condition and opening deadlines.
- 05
Permits and opening
We stay on the deal through plan check, landlord work and construction, because rent commencement and opening dates depend on them.
Send your site criteria
Paste your criteria or a summary. We reply with the trade areas we would start with and any current space that fits.
Or email noah@digitalre.com.
What we check before an LOI
Zoning and use permits
Drive-throughs, alcohol, fitness, schools, daycare and some medical uses need a conditional use permit in many Orange County cities. We confirm the permit path and timing before an LOI.
Parking
Restaurant and fitness uses can trip a center's parking ratio. We check the city code and the center's reciprocal easement agreement for parking limits on your use.
Exclusives and prohibited uses
Existing tenants' exclusives and recorded restrictions can block a use or a menu category. We ask for them early.
Restaurant infrastructure
Hood and shaft, grease interceptor, gas capacity, electrical service and patio rights, plus Orange County Health Care Agency plan check for food uses.
Signage
Center sign criteria, pylon and monument panels, and city sign code limits on size and illumination.
Space we are marketing now
Including a freestanding second-generation restaurant building at 915 Avenida Pico in San Clemente.
Markets we cover
South Orange County
Outside Orange County, see our guides to Los Angeles retail and the Inland Empire.
Questions brands ask
Who pays the tenant's broker in a Southern California retail lease?
In most Southern California retail leases the landlord pays the commission, and the listing broker shares it with the tenant's broker. The structure is confirmed in writing before tours begin.
Do you work with franchisees and franchisors?
Yes. We work with franchisees opening single units and with brands that want one broker for a group of markets. For franchisees we follow the brand's site approval process and submit the site package in the format the franchisor asks for.
Can one broker cover several Southern California markets?
Yes. Most expansion searches cover a few trade areas at once. Orange County is our home market, and we also cover Los Angeles County submarkets and the Inland Empire.
How long does a site search take?
It depends on the use and the market. An inline lease in an existing center can move from first tour to signed lease in a few months. Pads, drive-throughs and uses that need a conditional use permit take longer because of the city approval.
Which brands has Parker & Associates represented?
Clients over the years have included In-N-Out Burger, Chick-fil-A and Men's Wearhouse, along with regional restaurant groups and independent operators.
Independent operators opening a first location can start with tenant representation.