Operating as a family business for more than 20 years, La Casita Mexican Restaurant has grown as East Montgomery County expands and will continue to do so with the help of the East Montgomery County Improvement District.
After moving into a location that several other restaurants have called home in the past, the owners of La Casita – Alex Sanchez and Steve Rodriguez – wanted to renovate and remodel the spot to suit their brand and make it more welcoming to customers.
“My family and I worked in various restaurants for years when this particular location became available; it was the perfect fit for La Casita,” said Rodriguez. “When we opened our location in Porter, we opened the doors within two weeks. While we had La Casita restaurants in other communities, this is our home and where we ultimately wanted to open an additional La Casita. We started from a blank slate and began to build from there.”
As their popularity grew in the EMC community and beyond, EMCID President/CEO Frank McCrady and a few of the Board of Directors met with La Casita’s owners during a visit to the restaurant. They encouraged them to seek out funding through the East Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation to assist with improvements at the restaurant to provide a better experience for customers.
The EMC Economic Development Corporation, a subsidiary of EMCID, offers cash and non-cash incentives to companies that locate or expand within the boundaries of the District. Incentive funds can be used for train
Rodriguez and Sanchez put together a plan for their expansion and renovation which included re-painting the inside and outside of the restaurant, expanding the bar area for additional seating, new flooring, woodwork on the front entrance, building a patio onto the back of the restaurant and re-paving the parking lot.
“We presented our plan to the EMCID Board of Directors who approved our grant funding and wanted to help us with these projects; we couldn’t be more thankful,” said Rodriguez. “McCrady took the time out of his busy schedule to help us with the paperwork and EMCID is truly here to help us as a small business if needed. These improvements help us to create more jobs and improve our sales which, in turn, help the local economy.”
The owners of La Casita had already begun parking lot improvements, but the grant funding helped finish the job and the other projects. According to Rodriguez, lunchtime during the week and Fridays and Saturdays continue to be their busiest days which is why adding the patio on the back is beneficial, especially for those customers who wish to enjoy their meal outside.
“The patio gives our customers a chance to enjoy the weather,” said Rodriguez. “Our customers are very loyal to us, so we thought they deserved better and wanted these improvements.”
La Casita also purchased a van wrapped with their logos that enabled them to grow their catering business, too. The van allows them to transport more food for larger catering jobs.
“We are very grateful to our customers. To EMCID, you all have helped us to be successful and provide the best for our customers,” said Rodriguez.