Américas to Open in River Oaks Shopping Center

Weingarten Realty Investors (NYSE:WRI) announced today that award-winning restaurateur and renowned chef Michael Cordúa will open a third Américas restaurant in the River Oaks Shopping Center (www.riveroaksshoppingcenter.com) in the fall of 2010.

Américas River Oaks Ltd. (ARO, Ltd.) will own and operate the new restaurant, which embodies the culinary contrasts that Cordúa is famous for – authentic Latin ingredients from the Americas paired with classical and contemporary culinary techniques.

The River Oaks Américas will be a second-floor, 9,150-square-foot restaurant, featuring an elevated bar area and private event spaces. It will be a highlight of the newly redeveloped northwest corner of the center, located at the intersection of Shepherd and West Gray. The new venue will continue the design partnership between Cordúa and acclaimed architect Jordan Mozer (www.mozer.com), creator of some of the world’s most photographed restaurants and hotels.

Restauranteur and chef Michael Cordúa is a past recipient of the Robert Mondavi Award for Culinary Excellence. Américas has garnered accolades from Food & Wine, Esquire, Texas Monthly and Continental magazines.

“Cordúa’s restaurants are some of the most innovative and beloved in all of Houston,” said Patty Bender, senior vice president for Weingarten Realty. “We’re thrilled they have chosen to open their third Américas location at River Oaks Shopping Center.”

“River Oaks Shopping Center continues to be one of the city’s most favored neighborhood shopping and entertainment destinations. Over the past few months, we’ve unveiled a number of exciting changes to further enhance the experience for our tenants and shoppers, including the completion of our northwest corner redevelopment, the opening of Barnes & Noble as well as a number of other new retail stores in the center,” added Bender.

“River Oaks Shopping Center will be an excellent home for the newest Américas for many years to come,” said Cordúa. “The center’s personality is very much like what we have created in all of our Américas restaurants – vibrant and eclectic with a sense of relaxed glamour,” he added.

About River Oaks Shopping Center

Weingarten Realty Investors has owned and operated River Oaks Shopping Center for more than 38 years, during which time Weingarten has invested millions of dollars in upgrading and applying consistent architectural elements to building facades to create a neighborhood destination featuring nationally known upscale retailers, many strong independents and several restaurants. Customer information and the latest news about River Oaks Shopping Center are available online at www.riveroaksshoppingcenter.com.

About Weingarten Realty Investors

Weingarten Realty Investors (NYSE: WRI) is a commercial real estate owner, manager and developer. At September 30, 2009, the company owned or operated under long-term leases -- either directly or through its interest in real estate joint ventures or partnerships -- a total of 385 developed income-producing properties and 13 properties under various stages of construction and development. The total number of properties includes 315 neighborhood and community shopping centers located in 22 states spanning the country from coast to coast. The company also owns 80 industrial projects located in California, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia and three other operating properties located in Arizona and Texas. At September 30, 2009, the company’s portfolio of properties was approximately 72.3 million square feet.

About Cordúa Restaurants

Cordúa Restaurants (www.cordua.com), led by founder Michael Cordúa, currently owns and operates six award-wining restaurants including Churrascos River Oaks, Churrascos Westchase, Américas Post Oak, Américas The Woodlands, Artista, and Amazon Grill. The company has over 500 employees and offers signature Latin dining experiences along with complete on-and-off site event production, catering and private dining conducted by Cordúa’s MjC Events subsidiary. Since opening his first Churrascos restaurant in 1988, Cordúa has won accolades from the nation’s top food and wine publications, such as Food & Wine magazines “Top Ten Chefs”, Esquire magazine’s “Best New Restaurants in America” and “The 20 Best Steaks in America.”

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