Jimmy John’s takes lead in King Cole exodus

Restaurants Jimmy John’s and The Boiling are planning to vacate the King Cole building at 1 N. Meridian St., whose new owner plans to transform the building into a hotel.

Both restaurants are eyeing spaces that are very close to the King Cole building.

Jimmy John’s will move to 135 N. Pennsylvania St., in a space previously occupied by the hot-dog restaurant King David Dogs, which closed last fall. King David signage is still up at the space, though the interior has been gutted.

A document filed with the city show plans to renovate the 2,963-square-foot Pennsylvania Street space into a Jimmy John’s. The document identifies the project as Jimmy John’s store 732, which is the same store number that the King Cole location uses.

Plans have also been filed to install a Jimmy John’s sign at 135 N. Pennsylvania St.

Jimmy John’s franchisee Scott Finner did not respond to an email and a phone message on Wednesday seeking details on the move, including when the new store will open.

But David Ciechanowicz of Chano Real Estate Partners, which manages the King Cole building, said Jimmy John’s is scheduled to vacate 1 N. Meridian St. by Oct. 21.

The Boiling, a Cajun/Creole seafood restaurant in the basement of the King Cole building, is supposed to vacate by the end of this month, Ciechanowicz said.

The Boiling’s manager, Paolo Mendez, said the restaurant is planning to move just around the corner to 14 E. Washington St. That spot was formerly occupied by CharBlue Steak & Seafood, which closed June 29.

Mendez said The Boiling is hoping to negotiate an extension at the King Cole building because it hasn’t yet closed on an agreement to move to the former CharBlue spot. Ongoing negotiations over CharBlue’s furnishings and equipment need to be resolved before the deal closes, he said.

It appears that the King Cole building’s third restaurant tenant, Qdoba, will be staying put for the time being, Ciechanowicz said. Qdoba has a lease on that spot “for an extended period of time,” he said.

A Qdoba store manager said the location is operating under a 20-year lease. He said he had no information about if or when the restaurant would relocate.

An entity named Indy Propco LLC purchased the King Cole building in January for $3.9 million. Plans filed with the city indicate the building is to be redeveloped as a hotel, IBJ reported last month.

In other news this week:

— Native Bread, a gluten-free bakery, opens today at 9546 Allisonville Road, Suite 106 in Castleton. The bakery sells six varieties of gluten-free bread: seeded boule, honey oat, sourdough, cinnamon raisin, baguettes and hamburger buns. Hayley McGinley started the company in 2016, selling her products at area farmers’ markets and at select Indiana restaurants and grocery stores.

The Castleton bakery is open Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

— Paco’s Taqueria expects to open a new location this fall on the city’s southeast side, at 5202 Thompson Road just east of Emerson Avenue.

This will be Paco’s second location, joining the original at 4390 N. Keystone Ave. Owner Seni Gonzalez is aiming for a mid-November opening.

And over the next four years, Gonzalez said, Paco’s plans to open at least four additional locations. “We are very excited to bring our food to different sectors of the city. People love tacos and we want to make them happy having us close to them,” Gonzalez wrote in an e-mail to IBJ.

— Idaho-based PetIQ, a fast-growing provider of veterinary products and services that operates clinics under several names, plans to open its first local VetIQ clinic in McCordsville.

The 936-square-foot clinic will be part of an existing Meijer store at 6939 W. Broadway St. It’s expected to open either late this year or early next year, said PetIQ Vice President of Real Estate Chad Longson.

VetIQ partners with both Meijer and Walmart to build clinics within the retailers’ existing stores, Longson said. The clinics offer health and wellness services, including vaccinations, prescriptions, minor illness care and nail trims. Patients requiring surgery or overnight stays are referred to other local clinics.

PetIQ has 24 VetIQ stores in 10 different states, including one in New Albany.

More than 50 additional clinics are planned to open by next year around the U.S. In addition to the McCordsville location, VetIQ also plans to open clinics in Jeffersonville and Fort Wayne.

PetIQ also owns VIP Pet Care and Pet Vet Clinic, both of which operate drop-in clinics on select days at retail locations around the U.S. VIP Pet Care and Pet Vet Clinic have more than a dozen Indianapolis-area locations inside Tractor Supply and Pet Supplies Plus stores.