Uncle Julio’s Mexican from Scratch restaurant is coming to Norman in August, according to Sun Holdings director of marketing and innovation Dani Perales, who confirmed the plans in an email to OU Daily Thursday. 

Mexican restaurant to open in Norman's long-abandoned waterfront property

Perales did not confirm the specific location of the restaurant, but an Uncle Julio’s sign has been placed in the window of the unopened Wayne’s Waterside Grill.  

The property was recently sold for $1.7 million Dec. 30 to Extra Property Holdings LLC and the building has remained closed.

Sun Holdings is a restaurant management group that owns Uncle Julio’s and other brands, including Taco Bueno and Texas based burrito chain Freebirds.

Uncle Julio’s is a Tex-Mex restaurant that has opened 33 restaurants across 11 states, including locations in Oklahoma City and Tulsa. 

Property history

Construction of the 10,500-square-foot Wayne’s Waterside Grill began in 2008 by Norman businessman Wayne Copeland, but the restaurant was never opened. 

On March 11, 2014, a judgement in favor of Bancentre Corp. found the Copelands had defaulted on their payments and owed over $5 million to Bancentre Corp. through Atlantic Management Corporation, which oversaw the management of Wayne’s Waterside Grill, according to court documents.

In April 2014, the property was foreclosed and the owners were ordered to repay all debts owed to Bancentre Corp.

Atlantic Management Corporation filed for bankruptcy Jan. 5, 2016.

On April 9, 2016, Bancentre Corp. purchased the property through a sheriff's auction — a public auction that occurs when a repossessed property is sold by court order to compensate creditors — according to the Cleveland County assessor’s website. 

Bancentre had been paying taxes on the property from 2010 to 2020, according to the Cleveland County treasurer’s website. 

The property was sold to Waterfront Enterprise LLC for $810,000 Dec. 29, 2020.

This story was edited by Macey Thaxton and Audrey McClour. Kylie Caldwell, Ryan Little and Sophie Hemker copy edited this story.

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