San Juan city officials held a groundbreaking Wednesday afternoon to celebrate three new restaurant franchises coming to the city by the end of the year and also teased a couple future projects.
San Juan residents can expect a brand new Olive Garden Italian Restaurant, Chili’s Grill & Bar and Starbucks along East Frontage Road near the intersection of Cesar Chavez Road by October.
“What is happening here today is good ol’ quality of life, it’s something really special,” Senator Eddie Lucio said. “It impacts families, it impacts the community economic development wise and it ensures that we’re going to continue to grow.”
According to the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, the 2,016-square-foot Starbucks project is estimated to cost $700,000 while the Chili’s, coming in at a near 5,000 square-feet, is estimated to cost $1.4 million.
San Juan Mayor Mario Garza teased the groundbreaking last month saying that the new businesses coming to the city are just the beginning.
“This is just barely the tip of the iceberg,” Garza said. “We got a lot of good things coming down the pipeline.”
But it’s not just franchises the city is pursuing.
“We treat people with respect, we want them here and we want them to be part of our family,” Garza said. “Not only big boxes, we’re out doing ribbon cuttings on little mom-and-pop coffee shops, little stores. We treat everyone the same.”
Kelly Shaw, a principal at SCC Development Company and a broker for Chili’s, said he was sent down to the Rio Grande Valley to scout a new location for the chain.
According to Shaw, Chili’s number one market in the entire country is the Rio Grande Valley in terms of volume and can’t seem to find enough locations. Once Shaw found the site, San Juan officials jumped at the opportunity.
“I got to tell you, we’ve done 20, 30, 40 projects in the state of Texas and from the first day we walked in to meet with the city and [Economic Development Center officials], it was unlike any experience we’ve ever had in the past,” Shaw said. “They greeted us with open arms. They embraced what we’re trying to do.”
And they also helped solve problems.
“We had issues, they resolved them. We needed this; they said no problem,” Shaw said.
Shaw went on to say that he had such a positive experience working with EDC Executive Director Ben Arjona that he’d be seeking future development projects with the city.
Arjona also teased some other projects coming to San Juan.
“This is not the only event that we’re going to be having,” Arjona said. “There are more projects to come and I guarantee you the other ones that are coming are going to be about the same but at a different level.
“Whether it’s a burger place — I don’t want to say who, I’m not at privy yet — but there’s a lot more coming so stay tuned.”
