LAYTON -- Rancheritos Mexican Food is making the best of a difficult situation.
After being asked to move so the popular burger chain restaurant In-N-Out could have the prime location near the corner of Main Street and Hill Field Road, Rancheritos began looking for a new location.
"We didn't want to move, and that was a big disappointment for us," said Pamela Sanchez, whose father, Jose, owns the Rancheritos in Layton. "That location has been great, and we've been there for 10 years."
Rancheritos is at 1040 N. Main St., on the Reams property. In-N-Out Burger reportedly wanted that location because of its access to Interstate 15 and began leasing the land.
In September, In-N-Out Burger announced there would be no new location in Layton. However, Jose Sanchez had already signed paperwork to construct Rancheritos' new building at 423 N. Main St. The restaurant was too far along in the moving process to stay in its current location.
"We have a really good relationship with the owner of our (current) building, and he let us know (we had to move), so we started looking for a place close by," Pamela Sanchez said.
Crews started construction on the new Rancheritos in November, and on Thursday the city council approved a plat amendment that split the plot where the Rancheritos will sit. That was the last step that needed to be done for Rancheritos to finish its building.
Moses Sanchez, a real estate agent with Canyon Ridge Reality and no relation to Jose or Pamela, said construction on the new Rancheritos building should continue for another three months. Once the building is complete, he said, the owners will need another month to get the restaurant ready to open to the public.
"Layton has been a good area for them," Moses Sanchez said. "They wanted to stay in same area, so they kept looking in same area."
That's good news for the city, especially considering the loss of In-N-Out Burger.
"I appreciate the fact that Rancheritos feels Layton is a vibrant community to exist in and they want to re-establish their restaurant on Main Street," said Layton Mayor Steve Curtis.
Ben Hart, Layton's economic development specialist, said the new Rancheritos building not only contributes to the city's tax base but helps sustain the retail economy.
"It certainly lends itself to the growth of the city," Hart said.
While still disappointed that they have to move, Pamela Sanchez is trying to have a positive outlook, saying, "Our new building will be a little smaller, but we just hope people will like our new location."
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