Since middle school, Emanuel Escamilla that he wanted to go into the restaurant business.
Escamilla, 23, was born in Atlanta, Ga., and raised in Muncie. Escamilla has been surrounded by food since a young age and his father owns and operates all three Puerta Vallarta’s in Muncie with members of their family.
“When I was 12, I started working in the kitchen and all that, just washing dishes,” he said. “But, I would see the guys in there and I always wanted to try [cooking], and I would help them chop vegetables.”
He previously studied business at Ivy Tech Community College, and co-owned the Puerta Vallarta truck that began routinely catering to late-night Village crowds last fall.
Ryan Clements, 38, of Muncie, co-owns Cleo’s Bourbon Bar, The Silo and Columbia Theater with entrepreneur Chris Ellison.
Cleo’s Bourbon Bar is now all ages until 10 p.m. every day of the week. Cleo’s went under renovations during the summer. DN PHOTO BREANNA DAUGHERTY
Together, Ellison and Clements decided to close down the pair’s fourth bar, Redbird, and bring in Escamilla’s most recent venture: Sir Nachos.
According to Cleo’s Twitter page, the bar closed for renovations July 21 and reopened Aug. 15.
Clements said from beginning to end, the idea to convert Cleo’s into a minor-friendly bar and grill came to fruition in a matter of weeks.
“We started talking to [Escamilla] about it in July,” he said. “We were looking for somebody to do something in our kitchens, and it just worked out.”
Redbird, which formerly operated in the same space as Cleo’s, is no longer in business, Clements said.
“Redbird needs its own place, and that could happen down the road,” Clements said. “But not both [Cleo’s and Redbird] in the same place. So that’s where [Escamilla] comes in.”
Escamilla decided to sell his portion of the truck and go into business with Clements and Ellison.
“Right when he offered it to me, I knew it was a good deal,” Escamilla said.
Although Sir Nachos menu is similar in pricing and content to that of the Puerta Vallarta truck, Escamilla said items like the Spicy Chipotle Burrito and the Pork Carnitas Wrap can only be found at his restaurant.
Sir Nacho's Grill is located in Cleo's Bourbon Bar in The Village. Sir Nacho's plans to deliver and they have a carry out window. The Grand Opening will be on Friday. DN FILE PHOTO BREANNA DAUGHERTY
“I made the wraps for students so they can just walk with it, especially at night time,” he said. “They just like to carry something easy.”
The roots of Sir Nachos and Puerta Vallarta’s offerings were planted decades ago, at El Toro, a Mexican restaurant in Atlanta, Ga., said Escamilla.
“They created the cheese dip, and that’s what made them so popular,” he said. “And everybody just expanded from that.”
Escamilla said his family and extended family members own more than 100 restaurants throughout the country.
The bar is now split into a bar and grill area, allowing minors to occupy part of the space, just like a Chili’s, said Clements.
“We really want this to be like a Scotty’s,” Escamilla said.
Although Escamilla doesn’t yet have plans to move Sir Nachos out of Cleo’s, expanding isn’t out of the question for the young business owner.
“He does really well at what he does,” Clements said. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
Hours:
Mon-Wed: 6 p.m.-1 a.m.
Thurs-Sat: 6 p.m.- 3:30 a.m.
Sunday: Closed
Grand opening: Sept. 8
For Delivery Call: 765-896-8782
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