Restaurant property in growing retail corridor near Burbank fetches $3.4M

New Jersey company Essential Properties Realty Trust has purchased a restaurant property in a steadily growing retail corridor in south Baton Rouge.

The firm acquired the Fuego Tortilla Grill property on West Lee Drive near Burbank Drive from Dallas holding company Uncommon Brands for $3.4 million, according to a transaction filed Wednesday with the East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court’s office.

Uncommon Brands CEO Garrett Mills represented the seller, while Essential Properties President and CEO Peter Mavoides represented the buyer. 

Uncommon Brands purchased the then-undeveloped 2.4-acre tract for the restaurant last May for $1.5 million. Fuego Tortilla Grill opened earlier this spring.

Essential Properties acquires, owns and manages single-tenant, net-leased commercial properties leased long term to middle-market operators, typically service-oriented or experience-based businesses.

The company acquired four health care properties in the Capital Region for a combined $28.9 million earlier this year. The properties included: Carpenter House of Baton Rouge on Jefferson Highway, Capitol House Nursing & Rehab on Florida Boulevard, Sage Rehabilitation Hospital on Summa Avenue and Sage Specialty Hospital on Florida Boulevard in Denham Springs.

The Fuego Tortilla Grill property is adjacent to the future home of the North Carolina-based chain Cook Out and near Panda Express.

Essential Properties’ real estate portfolio includes more than 2,400 properties across 48 states, including 37 in Louisiana as of September 2025.