Michael Spilky is President and Principal of Location Matters Inc, which he founded in 2008. Prior to this, Michael spent over 8 years as Vice President of Ira Spilky & Associates, a boutique Restaurant Real Estate firm based in Los Angeles, during which time, he developed the firm’s San Diego regional office. He is widely recognized as the industry leader in the sales & leasing of restaurant-entitled real estate throughout Southern California. He has been involved in restaurant-related sales and leasing transactions valued at over $350,000,000 on behalf of both national, regional & local restaurant brands. In addition to the representation of restaurant tenants, Michael has successfully represented a multitude of landlords in their leasing efforts of restaurant pad sites, shopping centers, mixed use retail developments, and other street retail projects with a targeted focus on food use. His advice and expertise regarding restaurant-entitled property is regularly sought out by landlords, tenants, investors, real estate appraisers, lenders, and city planners.
Michael initiated his career in Restaurant Real Estate by working on the operational side of the restaurant industry for well known brands such as BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse and Woodstock’s Pizza. In 2004, he also served as an assistant manager for the 6,500 square foot Hooters location in San Diego’s Gaslamp District with sales volumes over $4.5M annually.
In 2009 Michael started Sweet 100, which he subsequently sold to his partner, retaining investments in various emerging restaurant brands such as Cucina Enoteca, Burger Lounge, The Broken Yolk Café & Carnitas’ Snack Shack.
Michael owns and manages a portfolio of street retail properties throughout San Diego. He has added significant value to this real estate by leveraging his brokerage platform and experience to improve these properties by utilizing the same leasing strategy he’s executed for landlords over the past 15 years.
Michael is a graduate of San Diego State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and is a licensed California Real Estate Broker. He lives in Carmel Valley with his wife, Limor, and their daughter, Kayla and two sons, David and Benjamin. When time permits, he loves visiting new restaurants, and spending time out in nature, away from real estate!
