Blackstone Group and Equity Office's Feb. 1 announcement of $500M in improvements to Willis Tower is already paying dividends. The National Restaurant Association signed a lease for nearly 51k SF on the 36th floor of Chicago's tallest building.

The National Restaurant Association is expected to move to Willis in December. The group is headquartered in Washington, DC, but has a Chicago office that helps organize and coordinate the group's annual restaurant show at McCormick Place. The new offices will be close to Willis' new amenities including Tower House, a two-story tenant lounge and café, and Tone, a 30k SF tenant fitness center.

Blackstone's renovations to Willis Tower are the first in the building's 43-year history. Blackstone is also refinancing the tower with a $1B loan. Equity Office was repped by Telos Group's Jamey Dix, Maggie Brophy and Joy Jordan, while the tenant was repped by CBRE's nonprofit practice group.