Word on the street a few weeks ago was that a new restaurant would be moving into the former location of Fiesta Ranchera no. 3 in Carrer de la Cancilleria Nord.
On Friday, that speculation became reality when Buffy Ramirez signed a lease for the property and plans to open Last Call Sports Grill in just over a month.
“I don’t know if it’ll be early September or late September, but I’ll be opening in September,” Buffy said.
He’s been eyeing the place since Fiesta Ranchera closed around the first of the year and never reopened.
“I’m going to have wings, burgers, steak and seafood,” Buffy said. “It’s going to be like Toots or Hooters, something like that. I’ve been talking about doing it since Fiesta Ranchera closed. I’ve been a customer here for a long time and I want to keep it.”
A popular aspect of the location is its spacious patio. Buffy says she’s going to build a patio bar and there will be about 55 outdoor seats. He said having a bar nearby will make serving drinks very convenient for patio patrons. He says the plan is to serve both beer and liquor.
“We need something else like this in this city,” he said.
The restaurant is in pretty good shape, Buffy said, but she’s going to give it a good clean, do some remodeling, and then open.
“I’m in good shape because almost everything was left here,” Buffy said. “We’re going to come back and start painting tonight and I’ll figure out what I’m going to do with this wall,” she said, referring to a wooden wall that divides the dining room.
It plans to have TVs for all viewing angles and will be open seven days a week. She says she’ll stay open until 1 a.m. on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays if there’s enough business.
“I work all the time in the trucking business, so why not be here,” Buffy said.
His family business, Ramírez Trucking, started with one truck and had up to 14 trucks in their fleet at the height of the business. The company currently operates seven and makes trucks across the United States
He knew that building wouldn’t stay vacant for long once owner Erasmo Onate decided he wanted to rent it out. The location is great and the parking lot is ample.
Fiesta Ranchera no. 3 showed that a restaurant can thrive in this location after several meats and threes were stuck in an unpleasant pattern of opening and closing.
I wish Buffy and her family the best in their latest business endeavor.
New business coming to Morrison
Nashville businessman Jeff Pennington is now the proud owner of the former McCormick Warehouse building in the industrial park of Mt. View a Morrison.
Industrial Development Board Executive Director Don Alexander tells me a bottling company will locate at that facility and bring 25 to 30 jobs. The company wants to be operational on November 1.
I haven’t been able to speak to Mr. Pennington directly to get specifics about the business, but I’ve heard sweeping generalizations about what will be done there. They will take an existing drink, for example vodka, add their personal touch of flavours, package it and resell it. This type of agreement is not unique to alcohol.
The company, as I understand it, can also help restaurants develop their own beverage brands. Let’s say Gary Prater, at the famous Prater’s BBQ, wants to have his own brand of vanilla soda, with his image on the bottle. The company of Mr. Pennington can do it.
I hope to have more specific information in the coming weeks. I believe a few employees will begin working on site in August to accommodate the planned November opening.
I’ll let you know more as soon as I know, but this looks like a definite plus for our industry community. It diversifies our workforce and gives us another non-automotive employer.
The Detention Adds salad bar
Never before has so much attention surrounded a salad. The former Morrison School holdout has created a buzz with its $9.99 grab-and-go salad bar that includes a drink.
The reason for offering the salad bar is simple.
“I love a good salad bar,” said Bernadette Doud, who owns the business with her husband Dwayne. “Salad bars went away with COVID and don’t seem to be coming back.”
Detention first offered the salad bar two weeks ago. It’s topped off with tasty fixings like pasta salad, strawberries, grapes, ham, egg and more.
The response has been strong and I can tell this firsthand from watching customer after customer walk up to the salad bar with an empty plate and build their own masterpiece.
“I work at Morrison’s and it’s nice to have an option other than Prater’s and Medley’s, especially if you want to eat healthy,” said customer Sarah McPeak.
Customer Larry Williams added, “This is my third time eating here and it’s really good. Getting food and drink for $10, that’s a value and you won’t leave hungry.”
Dwayne said he had no idea how much people love the salad.
“That was her idea,” Dwayne said, pointing to Bernadette. “I had no idea how much people love salad, but now I do.”
The salad bar is available during restaurant hours. A separate pizza buffet is only available Tuesday to Friday for lunch between 11:00 and 14:00
So what’s next for The Detention and The Elementary, Warren County’s premier destination for family entertainment?
“Our minds are always racing and we’re not done yet,” Dwayne said. “I won’t say too much, but I will say we’re looking to add an outside attraction.”
Dwayne and Bernadette have taken an old school that was left for dead and turned it into a real gem. There’s laser tag, miniature golf, bumper cars and a buzzing and flashing room with video games. Check it out!
Bounce houses have arrived
Josh and Ashley Roberts hope to enter the hearts of young people in Warren County and beyond.
They have opened Warren Bounce House Rentals and have been operating since May.
“We’ve got four so far and we’re looking forward to a fifth,” Ashley said. “They’re great for livening up a birthday party, a church event, a school event, really anywhere there are kids. They’re also good for weddings to give the kids something to do.”
The Race, at 40 feet long, is their largest inflatable and is suitable for older children who want to race in obstacle course fashion. The 30-foot-long Cannon is an intermediate inflatable that offers side-by-side racing.
The Mountain Climb is a 24-foot climb and a large slide down. The princess castle is a general bounce house with a basketball goal. One way out is to climb a short ladder and slide out. You can slide in a small pool if you want to add an optional water feature.
“We rode them up and took them down,” Ashley said. “We did nine in one week around the Fourth of July and really enjoyed it.”
Ashley says bounce houses are an extension of her party planning business. One of the popular items she offers are balloon arches. Also of interest, Warren Bounce House Rentals will be at Southern Standard’s Marketville, which is this coming Saturday, July 30th at the Three Star Mall.
“We’re going to have two of our bounce houses in Marketville and we’re going to be selling wristbands that you can bounce on all day,” Ashley said.
You can contact the company through their Facebook page, or by calling or texting Ashley at (931) 450-0872.
IDB news
At the Industrial Development Board’s monthly meeting Thursday, Executive Director Don Alexander mentioned some current projects that are moving forward.
One is the former Miniatures Precision Components building in Morrison, which is more recently the former Novares building. Don said Novares has completely moved out and a new tenant has been identified. Negotiations are going well, Don said.
“They’re to the point where their lawyers are going back and forth on the sale agreement,” Don said. “They’re looking at closing in mid-October.”
The BID is also working on finalizing the Investment Partners TIF, which plans to revitalize the Blue Building with condos on the inside and townhouses on the outside. A public meeting has been set for the TIF on August 8th at 5:30pm at McMinnville City Hall.
Bobby Kirby of Investment Partners attended the IDB meeting and was asked about the prices of their new units once completed.
“We’ll have some under 3 and some under 3,” Bobby said, with the 3 referring to $300,000.
The TIF is a way for the developer to get tax savings.
That’s all friends
Summer holidays are fleeting. The kids will be back at school before we know it.
Business Pulse is always in session. Email the business news you’d like to see in the paper to editor@ southernstandard. how.
