Jamestown board backs $85,700 incentive for planned QDOBA restaurant

A planned QDOBA restaurant in Jamestown moved closer to reality after the Jamestown/Stutsman Development Corp. board unanimously approved a Flex PACE interest buydown for Holy Guacamole Inc. The incentive, worth more than $85,700, would help finance the project in the former Dairy Queen building and now heads to the Jamestown City Council and the Stutsman County Commission for final local approval.

If the city and county sign off, the Jamestown share would be more than $68,500 and the Stutsman County share more than $17,100. JSDC, the lead economic development organization for Jamestown and Stutsman County, uses Flex PACE to pair local money with the state PACE Fund and reduce borrowing costs on eligible projects.

The Bank of North Dakota says the local share is calculated using taxable sales and purchases, employment, taxable valuation and population. JSDC set its 2026 Flex PACE program at $500,000, split between $400,000 from the city and $100,000 from the county. In 2025, JSDC participated in three Flex PACE loans totaling $204,538.98, which leveraged $478,328.92 and more than $5.4 million in private investment.

The QDOBA site has been in the works since last year, with owners Kelly and Tricia Seckerson preparing to make the restaurant a reality. QDOBA corporate material says Holy Guacamole brings prior restaurant experience through ownership of Dairy Queen and Quiznos. A local report said the Jamestown restaurant was expected to open in September, underscoring how quickly the project is advancing now that the financing package has cleared the development board.