A Florida-based daytime-dining chain known for fresh juices and made-to-order meals is staking a claim northeast of San Antonio. First Watch is set to open at Schertz Station, the sprawling 72-acre mixed-use development taking shape at the intersection of IH-35 and Cibolo Valley Drive, with construction on the new location slated to begin in January.
The move was reported by bizjournals.com, which reported that the Florida-based chain will join the development northeast of San Antonio and that construction is set to begin in January. The site itself, as reported by CultureMap San Antonio, is being built at I-35 and Cibolo Valley Drive and will eventually house a mix of national restaurant, retail and entertainment tenants.
Schertz Station is shaping up to be one of the region’s more ambitious retail bets. Per Community Impact, the development is a 257,000-square-foot retail and dining hub backed by San Antonio-based Merit CRE, which is investing more than $65 million into the project. Panera Bread opened as the development’s first tenant in October 2025, according to the same report.
A Growing Lineup Of National Names
First Watch will not be alone in chasing San Antonio’s appetite for daytime dining. The development’s roster already includes Portillo’s, and Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream is slated to open its second area location at Schertz Station as well, the CultureMap report notes. Merit leasing documents cited in that same article also show Jersey Mike’s Subs, Panera Bread and Smoothie King joining the strip. Merit CRE’s own project page lists Home Depot, EVO Entertainment, Portillo’s, Hopdoddy, CAVA and Panera among the development’s tenants and businesses…