Pepperlot Launches Online Marketplace to Buy, Sell, and Lease Restaurant Locations

Founder Alex Rusu builds the first online marketplace designed exclusively for the restaurant real estate industry

LOS ANGELES, April 30, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Pepperlot, an online marketplace for restaurant real estate, has launched at pepperlot.com, giving food and beverage professionals a dedicated destination to buy, sell, and lease restaurant spaces nationwide. Founded by Alex Rusu, a commercial real estate professional with a background in construction logistics operations as well as retail and restaurant leasing plus sales, the platform addresses a long-standing gap in how the food service industry finds and transacts commercial space.

Searching for a restaurant location has historically meant sorting through general commercial real estate platforms filled with office suites, warehouses, and storefronts that do not meet food service requirements. Operators need properties with specific infrastructure including commercial ventilation, grease interceptors, hood systems, walk-in coolers, and compliant kitchen layouts. Zoning and permitting add another layer of complexity that most listing platforms were never built to address, Pepperlot was.

"Restaurant real estate has always been a fragmented, slow process," said Alex Rusu, founder of Pepperlot. "Operators spend months searching through listings that were never built for food service. We built Pepperlot to fix that. A focused marketplace where buyers, sellers, landlords, brokers, and agents can connect around the right kind of space from day one."

The platform is open to brokers, agents, landlords, tenant representatives, and restaurant operators across the United States. Brokers and agents can list restaurant spaces in front of a focused F&B audience and receive more qualified enquiries from people already searching for exactly what they have. Tenant representatives and operators can search available spaces knowing every listing is relevant to their business.

Beyond listings, Pepperlot gives operators and buyers the tools to make smarter site decisions. The platform's location intelligence features allow users to analyse local competition by cuisine type, identify underserved meal periods and market gaps, understand income demographics and population density, and evaluate a location's overall demand potential before committing to a lease or acquisition. Additional features are in development as Pepperlot continues to expand its tools for brokers, agents, and operators throughout 2026.

Rusu developed Pepperlot from direct experience working across construction logistics and commercial real estate, where he observed the recurring challenges operators face when trying to lease or acquire food and beverage spaces. His background in retail and restaurant sales and leasing shaped the platform's structure, keeping the search experience focused on the details that matter to food service operators rather than the broader commercial real estate market.

Food and beverage is one of the most active segments of commercial real estate. Operators expanding to new markets, landlords seeking experienced restaurant tenants, and brokers and agents representing both sides of the transaction all need a platform built around the specific demands of restaurant real estate. Pepperlot brings them together in one place, the only open marketplace built exclusively for food and beverage spaces across the United States.

The platform is live and accepting listings. Brokers, agents, landlords, and operators with food and beverage spaces can submit listings directly at pepperlot.com.

About Pepperlot

Pepperlot is an online marketplace for buying, selling, and leasing food and beverage spaces. Founded by Alex Rusu, the platform connects restaurant operators, brokers, agents, and property owners in one streamlined destination. Learn more at pepperlot.com.

Media Contact:
Alex Rusu, Founder — Pepperlot
(650) 770-8709
[email protected]
https://pepperlot.com/ 

SOURCE Pepperlot