New restaurant to replace LaCharreada in Greencastle

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

A month after scandal over a bloody deer carcass in the kitchen forced a Greencastle restaurant to close its doors, a new one is slated to open in its place.

California-based Casa Grande has chosen the site of the former LaCharreada Mexican restaurant, in the Shoppes of Greencastle retail center, for its newest location, according to Cheryl May, office manager of the Hendricks County-based company that owns the shopping center.

May said Casa Grande officials recently signed the lease for the property and hope to have the new restaurant open and offering the usual Mexican-style cuisine by the end of January. Casa Grande is not affiliated with LaCharreada, she said.

Jose Sevilla, with Casa Grande's Linton, Ind. location, told the BannerGraphic Monday that he is planning a trip to the Greencastle restaurant later this week.

As for LaCharreada, the BannerGraphic reported in a Dec. 5 story that company officials have no plans to reopen in Greencastle. They closed their doors Dec. 2, a short time after news of the deer carcass incident broke, citing a 65- to 70-percent drop in sales.

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  • I sure hope they are as good as La Cha and nobody runs them off!!

    -- Posted by fillmore resident on Wed, Jan 2, 2008, at 7:51 AM
  • Hallelujah, another authentic Mexican Restaurant. I thought we might get a real-life American chain restaurant. Did the development office help in bringing this restaurant to town?

    -- Posted by cty-govt-a-muck on Wed, Jan 2, 2008, at 8:00 AM
  • Heck, even a White Castle would be an improvement!!!!!!!!

    -- Posted by cty-govt-a-muck on Wed, Jan 2, 2008, at 8:00 AM
  • Good, we're always happy to see a new restaurant coming in town. If you want an "American chain restaurant", feel free to open one.... Why are you waiting for someone else to do it? Stop complaining if you aren't going to change it. Take what you can get and be happy.

    By the way, assuming this one doesn't have deer carcasses in the kitchen, they probably won't be run off!!!!

    -- Posted by bannerstuff on Wed, Jan 2, 2008, at 10:39 AM
  • Mr. City Government amuck: I am baffled that people think that the city government has anything to do with what eating establishments come to our town. Free enterprize does. If our local economy can support an Applebee's, Steak & Shake, Texas Roadhouse, than someone will build one. It is not about what we want as choices to eat from - it is about the hard economic facts of the community to support a national chain that determine if they come here or not. There are formulas and guidelines for these chains in determining location not the "town development people?" Whoever you think they are or what you think thier responsibilites/power are.

    -- Posted by is that really true on Wed, Jan 2, 2008, at 11:50 AM
  • Maybe I should open up one of my own (American Chain, ie...Applebee's; Steak & Shake; Texas Road House; O'Charley's; Red Lobster; Olive Garden; Long Horn; Smokey Bones; Charbono's), should I go on. God knows I put enough back into their economy (in other counties). Take an average of Putnam County people that go out to eat in other counties every weekend, then tell me we couldn't support a "new" restaurant of high quality. When I calculate with my uneducated guestimates I do believe we could support one. I agree, just doing the math, then selling those figures to a chain restaurant is not that easy. Actually, "is that really true", you sound like you got it going on. Do you work for any government office? If you don't, maybe you should. You want to open up an old fashioned sit down chain restaurant with me?

    -- Posted by cty-govt-a-muck on Thu, Jan 3, 2008, at 7:22 AM
  • I don't want to open up my own restaurant, I just want to eat there. And If I like to eat at higher end, quality restaurants, there's nothing wrong with that. I truly become very tired of the same ole thing around here. If this county would like to move in the same circle as all of our surrounding counties, then it needs to evolve at a faster pace. Before you know it, they'll build an over pass (directly over Putnam County) that goes from Hendricks County to Terre Haute, with no exits to get off into Putnam County.

    -- Posted by cty-govt-a-muck on Thu, Jan 3, 2008, at 7:25 AM
  • I would love to keep my green in Greencastle, but with such limited shopping how can I. Where do you go to get good quality shoes and clothing? I want something nice to wear, I go to Terre Haute or Avon. I want a good steak dinner, Terre Haute or Avon. I can't even find a pair of womans brown or black socks in greencastle! What makes our goverment think businesses will move here! Build a building and they will come? Get real! We look low class, we shop like low class....hummm, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, must be a duck.

    -- Posted by Sharon@hotmail.com on Thu, Jan 3, 2008, at 7:49 AM
  • Okay..I agree that it would be nice to have options. But tell how the city government controls who builds shopping malls and restaurants. I know they try to lure industry but how would they lure retail business? What part of city governemnt would do that? Do you know? Is there even a retail development committee. The city didn't build the empty buildings...developers did. They are the ones that hoped they would come and perhaps spent thier life savings in that hope. I am tired of people whining to the local government for things they can't control or influence. Then describe tour community as low class without suggesting how they or anyone else could make it better other than pointing the finger at government without understanding how it works.

    -- Posted by is that really true on Thu, Jan 3, 2008, at 12:35 PM
  • I believe I do understand how the government works! Check your records, I believe the city did build a building that still sits empty. I hope you don't work for any government office around here. City officials do have the power and the INFLUENCE. It's called the good 'ole boys club, they do have influence. Or better yet, maybe they can pull in some of their markers!

    -- Posted by cty-govt-a-muck on Thu, Jan 3, 2008, at 12:47 PM
  • Why do all you think we need a crappy chain restaurant in this town??!! We have multiple locally owned and ran options that all offer excellent food! Almost Home, Toppers, Rockhouse, etc! Keep your money in town! There is no reason to go out to eat in Avon or Terre Haute!

    -- Posted by bobbittle on Thu, Jan 3, 2008, at 11:41 PM
  • No reason to go out of town to eat? You've got to be kidding me. Do you not have a drivers license. Would you prefer to eat at Putnam Inn every night? Or go to the Double, then Putnam Inn, then Rock House, then Toppers. Then......start all over again. I would still like to know how many people go out of town to eat. Maybe the rest of us would like a little diversity with our meals. I like to go out of town for the flavor of the meal. Let's say, lobster, oysters, crab. Okay, maybe my tastes are a little more expensive then yours, but that's my right. I hate to have to drive out of state to get a good seafood meal, but that's where I have to go. Then guess what, I shop, shop, shop, shop, shop, shop, shop, shop, shop, shop, shop, shop out of state as well as out of county also. I guess you don't like to have quality item clothing either. Wal-mart is okay, however, you get what you pay for. Don't get me wrong I like the restaurants here in town, but enough is enough. You want to grow, then attract the right kind of businesses and we'll grow along with everyone else surrounding us. For those of you who would like to stay in the past and never see your county grow, then so be it. But I like the finer things in life and if I can't get them here, I'll continue to go out of town or state. Oh by the way, I HAVE LIVED here all of my life, so I do know a little bit about the city and county. And it hasn't changed much in all these years.

    -- Posted by cty-govt-a-muck on Fri, Jan 4, 2008, at 7:16 AM
  • boblittle,

    Order a steak at one of these restaurants, you'll understand.

    As for bondman, your last words say it all....look at our last election turn out. Quack, quack!

    -- Posted by Sharon@hotmail.com on Fri, Jan 4, 2008, at 7:17 AM
  • It requires almost $300,000 unencumbered, plus property just to open a Rally's. If you think that Chili's or O'Charlie's is fine dining, you have no clue.

    Cty-gov-a-muck, how much would you invest to open an Oceanaire, or Shaw's Crab House in Cloverdale or Greencasle?

    We don't have enough population. Not yet. Look at Avon 20 years ago. A gas station and a state road. My family came from there. I don't want or need that mess.

    If I lived in Carmel, it would take me longer to get to downtown Indy than from my front door here in Greencastle. Put it in perspective, do you want the crime, traffic, and the collateral BS, or this pretty nice small town?

    Plain and simple, I like it here. It will be better once the new BBQ joint opens.

    -- Posted by localman on Sat, Jan 5, 2008, at 7:56 PM
  • ..Greencastle may be a nice place to live but if you need to shop other than Wal-Mart then you have to go elsewhere like Avon. I used to live in Greencastle and I would never move back. There is nothing in Greencastle but Wal-Mart and that gets boring. This is a college town come on folks get something in your town for your people to shop at and Dine. People aren't friendly and there isn't that home town feel. I personal wouldn't want to drive 40 minutes to eat or shop. Wal-Mart prices are awful. Come to Avon Wal-Mart and the prices are so nuch less, even bread is about 40 cents less at Avon than at your stores. If everything you buy were 40 cents less see how much you could save. It would pay you to shop elsewhere. You want to keep the Green in Greencastle then put something in your town to keep that Green there.

    -- Posted by sheder on Sun, Jan 6, 2008, at 10:18 PM
  • I don't consider Oceanaire even fine dining. More like stuffy, prices are too high for the quality of food. Yes, I have eaten there. I thought it might be fine dining, but just a big headache by the time you "wait" for your waiter. Go to Chicago or Cincinnati. That's where you'll find the fine dining. And YES, I have travelled there just to eat out and shop!!!!!!!I didn't come from any other town... I was born here, raised here and still living here. It's time to wake up and update this county! Look at todays headlines, a new restaurant opening up in Cloverdale. A subway, woohoo. It's an existing restaurant. I really don't consider a Subway a restaurant. (Not fine dining anyway.) Don't tell me this town isn't growing. Buildings are being built, yet sit empty. The Mayor elect stated there were approx. 36 new businesses. I don't agree with that. If that's the case, then what are those "NEW" busineses. In any case, for you people who like to eat at the same place everyday, go for it.

    -- Posted by cty-govt-a-muck on Mon, Jan 7, 2008, at 7:25 AM
  • i live in cloverdale and have most of my life. i have also lived in greencastle. if you told me that an applebees or chilis or something like that couldn't make it in putnam county i'd have to laugh in your face because i know it would. like cty-govt-a-muck said, if all the people from here that are going for a night out in other counties stayed in putnam county we could more than support one new restaraunt. i recently went out for my friend's birthday. we went to terre haute, ate at outback, we had to wait an hour to get a table, that is ridiculous. But if they didn't have people from other towns or counties coming it wouldn't take nearly as long to get a table. if there was something like that around here it would relieve some of the congestion at the other chains and we wouldn't have to drive for almost an hour to have a decent night out. like someone else mentioned greencastle has a college, with nothing for college students to do. there are empty buildings sitting and nice property that would be ideal for a step up in the restaraunt department but they keep building banks and gas stations and video stores. we have enough of those. as far as who controls what goes in... the govt plays a big role in that. they do afterall control zoning. but if you took all of the residents in putnam county that would gladly drive to the center of the county over driving to terre haute or avon these businesses would have a lot of patrons. but the businesses that keep coming are just duplicating what is already here and building in places that are out of the way with most people traveling vetrans hwy. i'm in favor of trying to get one of the big chains to build here but where do we start?

    -- Posted by celticsun1983 on Wed, Jan 9, 2008, at 11:47 AM
  • Here's a thought.....go ahead and build the building for a new restaurant, if it makes it GREAT!! If not, it will just match all the rest of the empty buildings around here.........

    -- Posted by mlbaker22 on Wed, Jan 9, 2008, at 7:22 PM
  • Amen to celticsun1983 and mlbaker22. You two have hit it on the head! Maybe we three should open up our own restaurant and call it, "I Told You So" restaurant.

    -- Posted by cty-govt-a-muck on Thu, Jan 10, 2008, at 7:15 AM
  • I am all for supporting the mom and pop shops of Greencastle....but I recently went to a local food joint (not going to name names) and the prices were high and my food was burnt and the burger had no taste. I want my money's worth...and going to Avon or Plainfield is worth it to me!

    Hey..here is an idea...bringing in higher quality food places not only bring in variety to Putnam County...but more JOBS! HMMMM...something to think about!

    -- Posted by Sunflowermel on Thu, Jan 10, 2008, at 7:33 AM
  • LOL you people think this will be authentic Mexican...uh NO! It will suck just like La Cha just like Los Martinez... bunch of people who are afraid to feed you white people REAL Mexican food! But yeah, I'll try it and be disappointed as usual. You want real Mexican come to my house. No really, but I'll charge you high insane prices too!

    -- Posted by smoochy on Thu, Jan 10, 2008, at 3:35 PM
  • To ctygovtamuck, if you hate the choices in this town so much open your own restaurant or clothing store! Better yet, move and quit your belly aching! I bet you are one of the thousands of people that whine about our gov't but yet you probably did'nt even vote! As for celticsun I agree with you about the banks and gas stations but we did need a new video store because Blockbusters prices are outrageous since they ran the other video stores out of business. Yes it would be nice to have a nice clothing store instead of all the XL clothes that unravel after a month or so from Wal-Mart.

    -- Posted by HelloMcFly on Fri, Jan 11, 2008, at 10:10 PM
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