EDC Program Boosts Couple’s Business
Bernabe Rios and his wife, Leticia, were having lunch recently at a pizza restaurant on west 2nd Street and through its windows could see a hometown restaurant just down the road.
It’s the Mama Maria’s Restaurant that is located at 735 W. 2nd Street in Mercedes. Rios recalled riding his bicycle as a kid at that same spot on 2nd when it was a barbecue restaurant. Today, it’s a restaurant featuring American and Mexican food with a diverse menu and is named in honor of Leticia’s mother, Maria Ruano. Opening nearly two years ago, Bernanbe and Leticia have steadily built up their customer base, earning nearly unanimous positive Google reviews.
“Great food, great people, the food is awesome for breakfast, lunch or dinner,” Jay Riojas wrote.
Those sort of kind words bring a smile to Bernabe’s face.
“It’s a rollercoaster sometimes,” he said of owning and running a business. “But at the end of the day, it’s all worth it.”
‘Right Place, Right Time’
Mama Maria’s recently got a boost from the Mercedes Economic Development Corporation with a $4,500 reimbursement for a new roadside sign highlighting a local business.
The EDC’s signage improvement program is focused on assisting small businesses in Mercedes. The assistance is in the form of grants, with businesses throughout the city participating and benefitting from the program. More information about the program can be provided by EDC staff at its main number of 956-565-2230, or by stopping by at 320 S. Ohio in Mercedes.
For Rios, it was being “at the right place at the right time” when it comes to the EDC’s signage improvement program. He and his wife knew their building needed a touchup and something new to draw added attention to their restaurant.
“We checked it out when we heard about the (EDC) program,” Rios said. “The new signage is going to grab attention. We feel like if you live in Mercedes, you should spend your money here. The improvements are going to help us.”
Mama Maria’s is very much of a shared effort between Rios and his wife. Leticia worked for years as a cook and in the kitchens of various local restaurants.
“She has all of that covered,” Bernabe says of Leticia’s experience and expertise in working with and leading staff in cooking and preparing the restaurant’s selection of dishes.
Bernabe has a business background in the cement construction industry. Despite being in a completely different business sector, Rios says it gave him valuable insights in managing the family restaurant. Bernabe and Leticia have worked to have a restaurant that gives customers many choices. He calls it “having a little bit for everybody,” from huevos rancheros to fried shrimp to carne guisada, with dishes for every hour of the day since Mama Maria’s is open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., most days of the week.
‘Work For Ourselves’
Looking back at their pizza lunch, Rios recalls the pride he and his wife felt in seeing their restaurant open down the street on 2nd.
They thought of the years it took to get to that point and the satisfaction they felt in reaching an important goal, no matter how challenging it may get at times.
“I told my wife, ‘We finally have our own place,’ ” he said. “All those years we worked hard for other people. Now, we can work for ourselves.”
- By Ric Cavazos
