Westchester office developer Robert P. Weisz said the industry mantra has changed in today”™s real estate market. “Now it”™s location, service, service,” he said.
“It”™s a flight to quality” by tenants, said the head of RPW Group Inc., whose properties include 800 Westchester Ave. in Rye Brook, the developer”™s headquarters, and 1133 Westchester Ave. in White Plains, the former IBM building that is now global headquarters for ITT Corp.
“Our buildings have been more occupied than before” the office market downturn in Westchester. He said that”™s because of the quality of amenities they provide.
“The cafeteria is one of the most if not the most important amenity in a building,” Weisz said. “We at RPW try to give very personalized attention to our tenants and the cafeteria is one of the big amenities in all our buildings. We don”™t want to take a chance that an operator will not provide a good service. Over the years we”™ve had situations where we”™ve had to remove operators on very, very short notice.”
At 440 Mamaroneck Ave., a 210,000-square-foot building in Harrison for which his company paid $33.25 million in 2006, Weisz chose Mario Cermele, co-owner of Cermele Caterers Corp., to run its cafeteria.
“We look for companies that are local companies and are run by their principals,” he said. “We kind of shy away from the national companies and the chain regional companies.
“We thought that Mario has all the right ingredients in terms of providing great food and great service and the personal interest he takes in each location he has.”
Weisz said business suffered at Cermele”™s Café 440 during renovations to the repositioned building, now 99 percent leased. “Now that my building is full, my tenants are loving it,” he said of Cermele”™s café.
“The building owner,” said Cermele, “looks at your cafeteria as being the positive point of sale for their tenants. It”™s a very important asset to the building and renting office space.
“It”™s all about keeping your tenants at maximum happiness,” he said.
