2024 Independent Mexican Restaurant Report: Has Labor Situation Improved?

Raul Luis, owner of Birrieria Chalío in Ft. Worth, Texas, has a lot in common with other Mexican restaurant owners: He is of Mexican descent; his family started the business as a home-based operation in the 1980s; and today, his family runs multiple restaurants in different parts of the country. Read More

Q&A: Box of Cubans Aims to Fill a Niche

Box of Cubans is a Cuban restaurant in Riverview, Florida, that recently announced plans to franchise. Publisher Ed Avis interviewed Marcos Silverio, who co-founded the restaurant with his wife, Onelia Silverio. Read More

Want to Boost Holiday Sales? Try These Recipes

The holidays season has arrived — one of the busiest and potentially most lucrative times of year for the restaurant industry. Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, your current and prospective customers will be looking ways to celebrate this special time of year — and that might be in your restaurant, in the comfort of their homes, or at catered events hosted by friends and family.  Read More

Mother/Daughter Team Master the Pupusa, Aim Big

Maria Henriquez, 44, and Ashley Henriquez, 21, are mother and daughter and also a great team. Together they operate La Salvi, a pop-up Salvadoran restaurant located in The Rochester Commissary, a space for food ventures in Rochester, New York. They opened on April 8. Read More

Marvelous Mocktails

Dry January is coming…is your restaurant ready? If you haven’t given it much thought, it’s time to start. Because judging by data about Dry January 2024, you’ll likely miss a share of bar sales if you don’t offer a selection of non-alcoholic (N/A) cocktails. Read More

Perfecting Pozole

This year, in what is usually a mild first week of November, Mother Nature surprised Denver with an early snowstorm. While residents were digging out, the team at La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal invited customers to dig into a bowl of pozole. Read More

Five Questions: Peter Newlin, Perdida Kitchen

Perdida Kitchen, a Baja-inspired concept from Denver-based Gastamo Group, has been serving wood-fired dishes featuring local and organic produce and fresh seafood since opening its doors in the city’s bustling Washington Park neighborhood in 2021.As the company prepares to open a second location in Westminster, Colorado later this fall, el Restaurante reached out to Chief Visionary Officer Peter Newlin to learn not only about the restaurant’s expansion but also about the Gastamo Group’s mission to build community through its Gastamo Gives program. Read More

Akilia Cosina Arrives in Chicago's West Loop

Billed as “a place where great food meets great vibes!” Akilia Cosina arrived in Chicago’s trendy West Loop neighborhood with a Grand Opening celebration on November 14^th. Read More

Torchy's Partners with the Chiefs

It’s good to connect your business to a winning team -- Torchy’s Tacos is the Official Tacos and Queso of the Kansas City Chiefs. Read More

Oregano: Herb Adds Peppery Taste to Mexican Dishes

Most Americans associate oregano with Italian food, and for good reason. During World War II, GIs in Europe discovered the tangy herb on pizzas, in spaghetti sauce and in other Italian dishes and brought it home with them. Read More

Two Guacamole Recipes: Elotes and Hot Honey

Transform a customer favorite by adding these two versions of guacamole to your menu: Elotes Guacamole featuring toasted corn and cotija, and Hot Honey Guacamole Read More

Nov/Dec Issue of el Restaurante Now Available!

The latest edition of el Restaurante is now available! The November/December issue features articles about trends in pozole, tamales and mocktails. An article about limited-time offers (LTOs) at California Tortilla will give you ideas on how to succeed with the temporary menu items, and our 10^th annual Independent Mexican Restaurant Report provides info on the state of our industry. Read More