(Seguin) — The Warehouse in downtown Seguin will soon become the Burnt Bean Co. restaurant. The city of Seguin is providing a loan that will help to bring the new restaurant to the downtown area. Seguin Main Street Director Kyle Kramm says they are working with Burnt Bean Co. to help them set up pits for their barbecue restaurant located at 108 S. Austin St.
Kramm says this is exciting news for the downtown area. He says people have been clamoring for more restaurants to be located in the city’s downtown.
“One of our top priorities has been dining establishments in downtown due to the fact that we have limited dining in downtown currently and it’s a top priority for the community. Through a community vision survey. It was one of the most requested things was to have more dining establishments. On top of that, Seguin currently has over $40 million leakage in dining establishments so that means people are leaving Seguin to go out to eat. That’s $40 million that we are trying to recapture and so that’s what this program that we have tonight will hopefully help solve some of that leakage by offering a Chapter 3, an incentive agreement, to Burnt Bean Barbecue in the amount of $40,000,” said Kramm.
Kramm describes the deal as a win-win for Burnt Bean Co., the city, and for local consumers who want more places to dine in Seguin. He says the business will have to pay this money back, but the city believe this is a good investment in the city’s future.
“The $40,000 will be a loan to the restaurant to cover the cost of the barbecue pits which will be held as collateral as part of this agreement. The restaurant has five years to pay back the loan and that would be collected through their one percent sales tax that goes to the city’s general fund,” said Kramm.
The restaurant is being started by chef Ernest Servantes, who previously served as the executive chef at Texas Lutheran University. Servantes, however, may be best known for being the winner of a Chopped Grill Masters Championship on the Food Network. Kramm says it will be great to have Chef Ernest’s presence in the downtown area, and adding Burnt Bean Co. to the city’s barbecue lineup will help to draw even more customers to the city of Seguin.
“It also creates kind of that Luling, Lockhart effect having the multiple barbecue places. That’s kind of what I think we can see happen here with Davila’s, Johnny’s and also now adding Burnt Bean,” said Kramm.
Kramm says that Chef Ernest has been testing the Seguin market for a few months by hosting pop-up restaurants at the Warehouse on Austin Street. Servantes is said to be excited and ready for this opportunity to get more of his food into the mouths of local residents. Servantes is partnering with the Warehouse and building’s owner, Freddie Leos. Leos is investing $50,000 to upgrade the equipment, plumbing and HVAC systems at 108 S. Austin St.
Again, the $40,000 loan for the city will be used for the installation of the commercial grade barbecue pits that will be used to smoke and grill items served at the restaurant once it opens.
Kramm says Servantes plans to serve his award-winning bar-b-que of brisket, sausage, ribs and more. He adds just as delicious are the sides and desserts. Servantes says he plans on serving banana pudding, mac-n-cheese with hot Cheetos and street corn pudding.
“My food is traditional Texas BBQ with a Tex Mex flare,” said Servantes. “Only town I could think of opening my restaurant is the one that welcomed me with open arms since day one, it was Seguin.”
Burnt Bean is scheduled to open by Jan. 1, 2021.
