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SANTA FE, N.M. — [photoshelter-gallery g_id=”G0000tVptXaDVm9U” g_name=”Bobcat-Bite” width=”600″ f_fullscreen=”t” bgtrans=”t” pho_credit=”iptc” twoup=”f” f_bbar=”t” f_bbarbig=”f” fsvis=”f” f_show_caption=”t” crop=”f” f_enable_embed_btn=”t” f_htmllinks=”t” f_l=”t” f_send_to_friend_btn=”f” f_show_slidenum=”t” f_topbar=”f” f_show_watermark=”t” img_title=”casc” linkdest=”c” trans=”xfade” target=”_self” tbs=”5000″ f_link=”t” f_smooth=”f” f_mtrx=”t” f_ap=”t” f_up=”f” height=”400″ btype=”old” bcolor=”#CCCCCC” ]

As the operators of the Bobcat Bite get ready to move on after the close of business June 9, they’re already trying out names for their next venture.

John Eckre says three people agree with his choice of “Bonnie’s Santa Fe Grill,” but Bonnie, his wife, doesn’t want her name attached.

One customer suggested calling it “The New Bobcat Bite.”

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“They’ve had the business license for over 10 years,” longtime customer Irv Abrams said of the Eckres. “The Panzers own the building.”

But the upcoming departure of the Eckres from the spot hinges in part on a disagreement over who owns the business, and now the future of the iconic hamburger joint on Old Las Vegas Highway – a 20-minute jaunt from Downtown Santa Fe – is in doubt.

The Eckres say that a few months ago Mark Panzer, whose mother, Mitzi Panzer, first opened the business in what had been a former trading post and gun shop in 1953, came to them with a lease that clearly spelled out that the Eckres did not own the business.

“That was a tremendous surprise to us,” said John, who refused to sign the lease. “To sign a new lease based on that premise was unacceptable.”

But Mark Panzer says there should be no dispute about who owns the business.

“The trademark has been owned by Mitzi Panzer for 12 years, and the business has been in the family since the 1950s,” he said, adding that the Bobcat Bite had been leased to family members and others long before the Eckres took over. “There’s no claim to who owns the Bobcat … If they’ve got a bill of sale, tell them to show it to you.”

Panzer said the Eckres are “great people,” but when he asked them to sign a long-term lease, things became contentious.

“Business is business, and we got to a business point where we couldn’t come to terms,” said Panzer, who is president and CEO of Pharmaca Integrative Pharmacy.

Also factoring into the decision is the health of Mitzi Panzer, who is battling cancer.

“We’ve got to worry about family, and the distraction became too great,” Panzer said. “It’s unfortunate, because (Mitzi) always treated the Eckres as family. But it got to the point where the family decided we just didn’t want to mess with it anymore. We don’t need this grief right now.”

Panzer said he has no plans to bring in anyone else to operate the business.

“We’re not concentrating on that right now,” he said. “We’ve got to worry about family, so we’re just planning on taking the building and shutting it down.”

The Eckres have been given until June 14 to get out.

So they will, albeit reluctantly. They say they’ve put their heart and soul into continuing the tradition of the Bobcat Bite as a family-operated mom and pop diner for the past 12 years.

“There’s a lot of anger, regret and disappointment; it’s very emotional,” John said.

“There are two families hurting right now,” added Bonnie, who started working at Bobcat Bite as a waitress in 1989. “They see things differently than us, but the bottom line it’s time to move on. The families need to heal and move forward.”

Where the Eckres go next is undetermined. John said they could end up in Garrett’s Desert Inn at Old Santa Fe Trail and West Alameda. Several Realators visited the restaurant Friday morning to offer help in finding a new location.

“People say wherever we go, they’ll follow us,” John said. “We’ll go somewhere else and do what we do.”

What they do is cook up some really good food, especially their green chile cheeseburger.

What makes their burgers so great, they say, is the beef and its preparation. The meat is natural, hormone- and antibiotic-free choice whole boneless chuck, which they grind fresh daily and shape into 10-ounce patties by hand.

Since they took over the business, the Eckres say they’ve received national attention from such media as GQ, Bon Appétit, Gourmet, and Travel and Leisure magazines, The New York Times, and Chicago Tribune Magazine. The Bobcat was also featured in the documentary “Hamburger America,” and on shows on the Food Network and Travel Channel.

“If they open downtown, they’ll do the same business or better,” said Abrams, a customer for two decades. “The food is consistently good. They serve the only decent hamburger in town. Plus, they’re nice people – almost like family.”

That sentiment was expressed by others, as well.

Customer Laura Ford said she was “horrified” when she heard the news Friday morning.

“It’s so sad,” she said. “These people take care of you. They know your name and always make you feel welcome when you come in. It’s kind of like ‘Cheers.'”

Ford, who along with her husband, Walter, has been eating at Bobcat Bite for 20 years, agreed that the Eckres will keep their customer base wherever they end up.

“People are going to miss the hamburgers and Bonnie’s coleslaw in the summer and red chile in the winter,” she said.

According to a history on the back of the menu, Bobcat Bite got its name because years ago the felines came down from the foothills and got treats at the back door of the restaurant.

The Eckres are planning June 9 to be their last day of business at Bobcat Bite. John said that proceeds that day will be donated to Kitchen Angels, a non-profit group that provides home-delivered meals to people in need.