Downtown Myrtle Beach restaurant, bakery for sale months after opening. What we know
A bakery and restaurant that opened in February 2024 after three years of planning is on the market.
Le Manna Bread International Bakery and Café is for sale, said co-owner Gus Pena. He hopes the bakery will continue operating after the sale, Pena added. He also said he plans to keep the bakery running for now but doesn’t know if he’ll continue with Le Manna after it sells.
He added that the restaurant is working with a broker, and Le Manna has a couple of potential buyers. The health of Pena’s business partner, Frank Rodriguez, was a contributing factor in Le Mann going on the market. Pena claimed that Rodriguez is battling severe cancer, which reduced Rodriguez’s ability to help run the bakery.
Pena added that the stress of running the bakery without Rodriguez, coupled with concern for Pena’s own health, were also factors.
“We are looking for a buyer,” Pena said. “We don’t have too many options right now.”
The bakery project was part of a significant effort to reinvigorate downtown Myrtle Beach. At 507 9th Ave. North in Myrtle Beach, the former site of the Myrtle Beach Bakery, Le Manna was part of a broader effort to open new businesses in downtown’s historic buildings, including a wine-tasting bar and ice cream place.
The eatery was originally approved by the City of Myrtle Beach in November 2021 and finally opened in February 2024. Pena said in August 2023 that part of the project included receiving permits from the city and complying with the downtown area’s historic preservation standards.
“We have been in that game for almost two years,” Pena said in August 2023. “Finally, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
