First Quarter 2006 Volume 8, Issue 1

Restaurant Realty Celebrates 10 Years

From a small one room office opened in Kentfield, California in February 1996 to a multi suite multi person staff today, Restaurant Realty Company has grown into California’s Largest Restaurant Business Brokerage in 10 short years completing sales of nearly 500 restaurants, bars or clubs.

As founder and President, Steve Zimmerman has utilized skills learned from 20 plus years in the restaurant business and from his 30 plus years of real estate investing. At Zim’s Restaurants he was personally involved in opening over 10 restaurants as well as selling a number of units. This experience has helped him to understand both the buyer’s and seller’s side of the transaction as well as being able to use his analytical skills when evaluating financial data. As a real estate investor Steve has a broad range of experience with varied properties. This has contributed to his expertise in understanding the various aspects of putting together deals.

Steve uses not only his business experience but he utilizes his education as well. After receiving college degrees from the University of San Francisco and Cornell University, Steve earned a college teaching credential and has taught several courses through the years at City of College of San Francisco Hotel and Restaurant School and Golden Gate University’s former School of Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional Management. Steve has been a guest lecturer at the California Culinary Academy (CCA) for the last several years –teaching students all aspects of purchasing a restaurant from valuation, putting the business plan together and doing due diligence leading to restaurant acquisition. Steve gives presentations at the California Association of Business Brokers meetings and takes continuing education courses yearly at the International Business Brokers Association.

Steve has completed over 1,000 restaurant valuations, has consulted with hundreds of restaurant owners, served as an expert witness and has completed numerous transactions through the United States Bankruptcy Court.

Some of Restaurant Realty Company's unique completed transactions include as follows:

1. The sale of businesses including the buildings and real estate in the following cities:
   Lafayette, St. Helena, Novato, Alameda, San Francisco, Vallejo, Woodacre, Sonoma, Hayward, Olema, San Leandro, Oakland, Sebastopol and San Rafael.
    

2. The sale of bars, nightclubs and brewpubs:
   San Francisco: the Great American Music Hall, Café Du Nord, Julie Rings Heart & Soul, Up & Down Club, POW, Lit Lounge, Jitney’s (formerly The Black Cat), Odeon, 26 Mix, Radio Valencia, Alta Plaza, The Social Club, Storeyville, Eleven, CAVA 555, Chat House, Sacrifice, Shannon’s, Hotel Utah, Gin Joint , Passion, Bobby Ryder’s and Potrero Brewing Company; in Marin: New George’s, B Street Tavern, Mancuso’s, Café Amsterdam, Willow Street Brewery and Ross Valley Brewing Company; Peninsula: the Back Beat (25,000 square feet), De Marco’s 23 Club, 101 Club, JB’s Lounge, The Lariat and Fanny & Alexander’s in San Jose, Burlingame and Palo Alto; and in the East Bay: Kings X, Sherry’s Lounge, Gordo’s, Gallagher’s, Norma’s Living Room and Bison Brewing Company.
    

3. The sale of waterfront restaurants in Redwood City, Sausalito, Princeton by the Sea, Burlingame, Point Richmond, San Rafael, Pacifica, Alameda, San Francisco and Rodeo.
    

4. The sale of units from the following chain restaurants: Tre Fratelli/I Fratelli, Firstwatch, Happi House, Pollo’s, Rosti, Subway, Wahaka, Good Earth, Round Table, Wendy’s, Mr. Pickles, Nation’s Hamburgers, Fillipo’s, Baja Fresh, North Beach Pizza, High Tech Burrito, Baskin Robbins, Togo’s, Extreme Pizza, Strizzi’s, Johnny Garlic’s, Yet Wah and Celia’s.

Restaurant Realty Company is committed to being the leader in its field and will continue to improve and expand its systems to provide its clients with the best services available in the industry for selling and buying restaurants, bars and clubs. We want to thank all of our clients for the opportunity of working with you the past ten years and we look forward to working with you again in the future.

Restaurateur of the Quarter
Peter Cooperstein - Amici's East Coast Pizzeria

After graduating form Cornell University with a degree in economics and receiving an MBA from MIT in 1981, Peter Cooperstein, a Boston native, came west to work in the computer industry. Fortunately for Bay area pizza lovers his plans in the computer business didn’t pan out and he and partner Mike Forter opened their first Amici’s East Coast Pizzeria on San Mateo’s Third Avenue in 1987.

The Amici’s chain now has 7 stores with others opening soon in San Francisco and Santa Clara. The company believes that promoting dine in service in their comfortable and well appointed restaurants-40 % of their sales, promoting delivery service- 50 % of their sales and also having some take out business-10 % of total sales is a three pronged approach that leads to success. This strategy has helped put Amici’s as number 1 ranking on Pizza Today’s Top 100 Independents list for 4 consecutive years.

Peter Cooperstein runs his chain that tops over $20 million in sales in a low key way. He is often found dressed in casual pants and a T-shirt while driving his 2 year old Toyota crowned with an Amici’s delivery sign. He eats in his stores often-3 or 4 times a week. He is the consummate family man who loves to spend quality time with his wife May Lin and their 3 children ranging in age from 6 to 15. They travel back to their roots in Boston often-at least 5 times a year.

Amici’s food is reminiscent of East Coast style—the crust is thin, almost charred- baked in special stone hearths at 700 degree temperatures. The restaurants, all with unique and posh decors, reflect East Coast themes adorned with black and white photographs of sports stars from East Coast cities like New York and Boston and other memorabilia.

Restaurant Realty Company congratulates Peter Cooperstein of Amici’s for his success and is pleased to have been involved with him acquiring two of his locations.