One popular South Bend restaurant on the market, another favorite resurging
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A long-time South Bend riverfront restaurant that closed last fall is on the market, while the operator of another popular downtown eatery says customers are coming back after a recent reopening.
The Bucket, owned by the Navarre Hospitality Group since 2021, went up for sale earlier this month for $725,000, said Gage Hudak, vice president of Bradley Company and the commercial real estate broker handling the listing.
After being closed for about 2 1/2 years, Frank’s Place was reopened last November by new owner Bhola Singh and is operated by Autumn Kabzinski, 28, a South Bend native.
The two changes reflect the challenges and fluidity of the restaurant business, especially during the COVID pandemic and in its aftermath.
The Bucket
Response to The Bucket’s listing has been strong, Hudak said. “The phone has been ringing off the hook. We’ve had close to 10 showings at this point. There has been a lot of interest,” he said.
Hudak explained that during the COVID pandemic a lot of restaurant sites became available. “We’ve seen a strong rebound. Not much restaurant space is available for purchase or lease now. To find something that is ready to go and a turnkey business is hard to come by right now,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t get an offer before the (winter) weather breaks.”
Another likely reason for the interest, Hubak said, is the city of South Bend’s expansion of the riverfront district, which now includes The Bucket’s property. This designation offers owners discounted liquor licenses costing about $2,000, compared a typical $50,000 fee, he said.
The 3,400-square-foot restaurant and riverside bar, located at 1212 S. Ironwood Dr., has been a popular community staple for about 60 years. It was formerly a mom-and-pop operation before being purchased by Navarre, a large South Bend-based restaurant operator in the region. For the majority of its history, it offered mainly American cuisine, such as burgers and fries.
Much of the restaurant’s popularity was due to outdoor patio seating right on the St. Joseph River, Hudak said. About half of 250 available seats are located outside on three decks. “It’s been a real summer hot spot,” Hudak added, saying outdoor service stretched from late March to October.
After the purchase, Navarre’s owner Kurt Janowsky decided to put a couple hundred thousand dollars into refurbishing, repainting and buying new kitchen equipment, Hudak said. Business was strong, especially during the summers, and even though sales dipped somewhat, the restaurant was still breaking even, he said.
But the Polynesian menu, rolled out in early 2023, didn’t work out as well as Janowsky had hoped and the restaurant took more time than he wanted, Hudak said. Janowsky closed it down for the season in October and decided to put it up for sale. But he intends to reopen it by springtime if it doesn’t sell and would probably return to more of its traditional menu, Hudak said.
“It’s a community staple, and he’s a South Bend guy and wants it to do well,” he said.
Frank’s Place
When Frank’s Place reopened in late November, its menu also was revamped, although the popular seasoned Frank’s burger with house-made barbecue sauce carried over under new ownership.
“I think it’s going very well,” said Kabzinski about the first couple months’ operation. “We’re still building. A lot of people didn’t know that it has opened.”
She added that recent publicity and word-of-mouth have helped build awareness, as well online publicity and reaching out on her Facebook page to more than 7,000 followers.
The revived restaurant came about after Kabzinski learned from a mutual friend Singh was searching for an operator. Kabzinski was already leasing the commercial kitchen at Chain O Lakes Conservation Club in Lydick for her Rose’s Sweet Treats and Eats business. But she was ready to start a new venture. She also had five years’ experience at another restaurant before taking over food-service at the club, which also operates a fast casual food service.
Located at 327 W. Marion St. on the southwest edge of downtown, Frank’s Place had been a popular, affordable neighborhood spot and choice for downtown workers for more than 40 years. But the restaurant and nearby liquor store changed hands, the pandemic hit, leading to an initial closure and then limited operation before Singh closed it in May 2021.
Now, Kabzinski says she is quite busy, managing 10 mostly full-time employees, doing some cooking and working the bar. She recently closed the Rose’s Sweet Treats business.
She’s proud the restaurant only serves fresh meat, not frozen, and is excited about debuting some new desserts on Valentine’s Day. They are a mini strawberry crunch cheesecake and a chocolate cupcake with a chocolate-dipped strawberry.
“My number one challenge is keeping a good, reliable staff. We’ve had a few turnovers already, but others are doing well,” she said. “I’m pretty much here every day. But I knew it would be time-consuming when I went into this.”