From left: Bill Miller, vice president for New York real estate at Au Bon Pain, Au Bon Pain location on Fifth Avenue and Chase Welles and Jacqueline Klinger, vice presidents at Northwest Atlantic

Au Bon Pain plans to expand its presence in Manhattan with smaller
stores in the next two years, according to Bill Miller, the company’s
new vice president for real estate in New York.

The chain is looking for spaces in the range of 1,500 to 2,000 square
feet, primarily in vertical density locations in lobbies of Midtown
office buildings. Au Bon Pain is searching for smaller footprints as it
has made changes to its store design to increase efficiency. The
company currently has about 20 locations in the New York City area,
and plans to open two to four locations in 2012, and about six in
2013. [more]

The manager of 2 Park Avenue near East 32nd Street is requesting that the Department of Transportation create a “No Standing” zone near his building to prevent the influx of food trucks. According to DNAinfo, food trucks have garnered complaints from the building’s retail tenants, including Crumbs Bake Shop, Pret A Manger and Europa Café. “Everyone… complains, ‘You’ve got to stop these food trucks. They’re taking away our business,’” Jose Toro, the building’s manager, said. “The last thing you want to see is a truck that sells halal food when I have Café Europa.” Toro also claims that a falafel truck left a trail of grease that cost him $4,000 to clean up, although the truck’s owner denies the claim, saying Toro is looking for any excuse to evict the trucks. [more]

From left: Pret A Manger is moving in on the corner of 29th Street and Seventh Avenue and Fresh & Co. is a recent addition to the neighborhood on the corner of 30th Street and Seventh Avenue

Once thought of as a transit hub for travelers moving in and out of Penn Station, a strip of Seventh Avenue is slowly gaining retailer clout. Brokers say the stretch of retail from 29th to 34th streets is improving because of shifting real estate values, large development projects on the horizon and the influence of one property owner: Vornado Realty Trust. In the last few months, the quality of retailers in the area appears to have shifted. Fresh & Co., an upscale — primarily lunch — eatery, opened several months ago at the corner of 30th Street and Seventh Avenue. Pret A Manger, meanwhile, has plywood up on the corner of West 29th Street. And, within a couple of months after Supermac macaroni and cheese joint’s closing last November, a new vegan sit-down restaurant opened in the location on Seventh Avenue between 29th and 30th streets. And, as these high-end eateries crop up, some retail experts say that the neighborhood is turning a corner. [more]