Sept. 19, 2025

The former Applebee’s building in Brookings is becoming a Mexican restaurant.

Reyes Aranda, who owns La Cantina in Brookings, bought the building at 3001 Lefevre Drive next to Interstate 29, which was vacated when Applebee’s closed earlier this year.

“I’m going to remodel the whole place,” Aranda said. “It will look brand-new, and at some point we’ll be moving La Cantina there.”

He opened his Brookings restaurant about four years ago.

“It’s super-good,” he said, adding that the appeal of the new location is its proximity to the future Target and Aldi opening there. “It’s a good spot.”

Aranda owns 15 Mexican restaurants, including La Plaza Fiesta and La Cantina in Sioux Falls, and is opening more in Montana, Wisconsin and Michigan. Earlier this month, another location for La Plaza Fiesta opened in Omaha. Sioux Falls might expand with a location on the west side, he said.

The deal in Brookings included purchasing a liquor license to operate there. The building also includes patio seating.

“I got a lot of interest,” said Scott Blount of Lloyd Cos., who brokered the deal. “Out of the gate, we had two or three parties that also were interested and wanted to submit backup offers, and Reyes was the first we accepted.”

Aranda said he will open the new location in the next year.

He’s not sure what will happen in the existing La Cantina space but has a liquor license for it and plans to put a restaurant concept there.