Maggie Rita's facts for kids

Maggie Rita's Tex-Mex Grill & Bar is a restaurant that serves Tex-Mex food. It is located in Houston, Texas. For some years, Maggie Rita's was a group of restaurants, also known as a chain. It was partly owned by the comedian Carlos Mencia and Santiago Moreno. In January 2013, Moreno closed the last two restaurants they owned together. Today, only one Maggie Rita's restaurant is still open. It is owned by Tony Shannard and is in Houston's JPMorgan Chase Tower.

The Story of Maggie Rita's

Carlos Mencia was interested in food. His friends thought he should start a food business. Mencia met Santiago Moreno, who owned restaurants. Moreno suggested they start a chain of restaurants together. Mencia teamed up with Moreno and David Quintanilla to open Maggie Rita's.

The very first Maggie Rita's opened in the Galleria area of Houston. This opening was like a test run. Mencia said they learned a lot from it and made many improvements.

Later, Maggie Rita's opened a restaurant in New Orleans. Around 2007, another Maggie Rita's opened in Houston. People called it a "new upscale Mexican food concept." In 2009, it was described as an "upscale Tex-Mex sports bar."

A Maggie Rita's restaurant also opened in Galveston, Texas, on July 29, 2010. It was in a historic area called The Strand. This was the third Maggie Rita's location. Many people saw this opening as a good sign for Galveston after Hurricane Ike. However, by January 2012, the Galveston restaurant had closed.

In mid-2012, three other restaurants in Houston were changed into Maggie Rita's. These were in the Kirby Drive, Galleria, and Gulf Freeway areas. By April 2013, only one Maggie Rita's restaurant was still open.

Where Maggie Rita's Was Located

The Maggie Rita's chain had restaurants in Houston, Galveston, and New Orleans. The locations in Galveston and New Orleans closed by 2012.

In Houston, there were several Maggie Rita's restaurants. These included places in Downtown, the Galleria area, near Hobby Airport, in the Heights, and in Upper Kirby.

The Kirby location closed in November 2012. The Galleria location closed the next month. In January 2013, the Heights location also closed. These closures meant about 60 employees lost their jobs.

Today, Tony Shannard runs the only Maggie Rita's in Downtown Houston. He has a special agreement to use the name. As of January 2019, the Maggie Rita's website only lists this one location.

What Made Maggie Rita's Different

Santiago Moreno, one of the founders, said that Maggie Rita's was different from other Tex-Mex restaurants. He said they focused on food that was "lighter" and not as filling. This meant people could eat there more often.

Moreno also mentioned that many customers grew up eating fast-food Mexican. He believed their taste buds might not be used to traditional Mexican food. He thought Maggie Rita's offered a lighter meal that could be enjoyed several times a week.

At the Shepherd Drive location in Houston, customers who parked their cars had to use a valet service. This meant someone else parked their car for them.