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MOHEGAN LAKE, N.Y. Pizza Hut has signed a long-term lease to open its first restaurant in northern Westchester in the former Charlie Brown's location in the Mohegan Lake section of Yorktown.
Renovations are expected to begin later this month in the 8,100-square-foot space, 3,600 square feet of which Pizza Hut and an accompanying ice cream shop will occupy when they are expected to open this spring. The remaining 4,500 square feet will be leased to another "well-known brand," according to Eric Goldschmidt of Goldschmidt & Associates, the exclusive leasing broker for the Route 6 property, who declined to reveal the identity of the other tenant.
Goldschmidt said the location attracted a lot of attention since Charlie Brown's went bankrupt.
"There was a lot of interest and we rejected quite a few," Goldschmidt said. "We have to be very careful as owners to put in a user that compliments the rest of the property and other stores. Now that Pizza Hut is coming in I'm getting calls all over the place."
The nearest Pizza Hut is in Pleasantville. The only other Pizza Hut in Westchester is on Central Avenue in Scarsdale.
Yorktown Council member Nick Bianco is excited to have the national pizza chain select Yorktown.
"I think Pizza Hut will be received well in Yorktown. It is positive to have a national chain and goes to show that contrary to some beliefs, Yorktown is and always has been a friendly business town," Bianco said.
It is likely Pizza Hut will affect the business of several pizzerias in the immediate area. Goldschmidt maintained competition doesn't have to be viewed negatively. "The community can go to their favorite pizzeria or Pizza Hut, or both," he said.
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