At a Feb. 23 Zoning Adjustment hearing, plans were presented for converting an existing Julioberto’s restaurant, located at 717 E. Glendale Ave., into a Better Buzz Coffee Roasters.
Julioberto’s is a well-established, local, Mexican food restaurant chain. This 24-hour location currently includes a dining area and a single drive-thru lane.
Better Buzz, which was established in San Diego in 2002 and currently has 15 locations in California, is proposing a two-lane drive-thru at the Glendale Avenue location. The company says it will convert the existing restaurant into a café and make exterior renovations and parking lot improvements. Additionally, it will bring “inviting, upscale design focusing on guest experience, craft coffee and gourmet specialty drinks and a high-quality light food menu” to the neighborhood.
The use permit request to allow a drive-through facility as an accessory use to a restaurant within 300 feet of a residential district was approved with two stipulations: Better Buzz will have one year to apply and pay for building permits; and all traffic exiting from the drive-thru must be right turn only.