Berne residents may soon enjoy authentic Mexican food without leaving town
By Amy Orr
Approximately three weeks ago, crews broke ground on a new construction project along U.S. Highway 27 just north of the Black Bear Inn & Suites in Berne. While the retail development was initially presented to both the Berne Plan Commission and the Berne City Council by Jerre Nichols, owner of the Black Bear Inn, the project recently changed hands.
Nichols had planned to sell the project to other investors after the development received the proper approval by city officials, and at the start of April, a corporation known as SBK Development, LLC took possession of the property. Some of SBK Development’s investors are local, while others reside in neighboring communities. At this time, the individual investors prefer to remain anonymous.
According to a spokesperson for the corporation, the group agreed to continue Nichol’s development mainly for economic reasons. The spokesperson explained, “We believe there’s a need for some Class A retail space to draw some of the more national or larger regional chains. It’s really an economic-driven thing—as fuel prices keep going up, the more goods and services we can provide closer to home, the better it is for the community.”
Marquis Builders, the project’s general contractor, has crews working on one of two planned multi-tenant retail buildings. Officials hope to hold a grand opening of the first retail building later this summer during Swiss Days.
SBK Development has already confirmed one tenant who plans to occupy a portion of the first retail building. Wells County resident Juan Ortiz, owner of Bluffton’s authentic Mexican restaurant El Camino Real, has indicated he will lease space in the new Berne facility for another eatery —El Carreton Mexican Restaurant. Ortiz and his family own approximately 40 restaurants which operate under a few different chain names, including El Camino Real and El Carreton.
According to SBK Development, the project campus will also include a single-tenant facility, although it is not known at this time whether the third building will house a retail business or a larger restaurant. SBK’s spokesperson offered, “There’s interest from some national and regional chains but there is some discussion going on with the council and the mayor about the community’s needs and how those will match up. If a restaurant wants to come in, we’ll be happy to have them.”
SBK Development’s negotiations with other potential tenants will determine how quickly construction begins on the other two buildings. Ideally, the entire development would be completed in about 18 months.