New national chains target St Joseph County as commercial growth accelerates
ST. JOSEPH COUNTY, Ind. -- Several national restaurant and chains are preparing to expand into St. Joseph County, filling long-vacant properties and signaling continued commercial growth across Mishawaka and South Bend.
Among the latest developments, drive-thru coffee chain 7 Brew plans to take over the former Windy City Gyros location on Main Street in Mishawaka. The property has been vacant since October.
Down the road, Dutch Bros, another drive-thru coffee chain is slated to occupy a vacant lot near the former Aspen Tap House site on Main Street.
Meanwhile, Mediterranean restaurant chain Cava is set to celebrate the grand opening of its first St Joseph County location June 3 in Princess City Plaza on Grape Road. The space had remained vacant since 2020 after the closure of Cici’s Pizza.
"It's a great time for commercial business because we're seeing a lot of spaces that might have sat vacant being refilled," said Bill Schalliol, St. Joseph County's economic development director.
A second Cava location is planned for Eddy’s Street Commons in South Bend, across from the recently opened Bibibop Asian Grill.
Bakery and cafe chain Tous Les Jours is also preparing to open a location on Angela Boulevard.
Schalliol said the area's proximity to the University of Notre Dame, combined with new infrastructure investments, continues to attract businesses.
"It does draw on the students. It does draw on people coming to campus," Schalliol said. "I think this new pedestrian trail that connects the two together, certainly a lot of stuff is happening in the East Bank right now because of the trail and connectivity to Notre Dame."
Schalliol also pointed to major economic development projects as a key factor driving commercial interest, particularly along the Grape Road and Main Street corridors.
"A lot of the bigger developments, the Amazon and Microsoft, are really what's driving that," Schalliol said. "New people are coming into the market, and we've got people staying in our hotels."
The Microsoft data center project, which is expected to create hundreds of jobs and located nearby the high-traffic area of Mishawaka, is helping attract new people to the area, contributing to increased demand for retail and restaurant development.
Looking ahead, local leaders are optimistic about additional growth opportunities along Grape Road following the relocation of Gurley Leep Automotive Group operations to a new auto mall development on Cleveland Road.
"We're excited to see those open up some pretty big parcels," Schalliol said. "Will that bring in some of these bigger-box developments that we haven't seen in the market? It's going to be interesting over the next three to five years to see what happens in the market."