Lane Cardwell

Eating Tex-Mex in Dallas (Part 1)

Dallas has an abundance of Mexican restaurants. Research that I have seen indicates that Dallas rates Mexican food higher than other types of cuisine (including American). We have lots of Mexican chains, and an abundance of local Mexican restaurants. Everyone has their favorite. Some prefer the local independent that attracts the Hispanic population. Others prefer the consistency and familiarity of the chain restaurants, both large and small. I prefer a blend of both.

My first exposure to Mexican restaurants within the industry was while at Steak and Ale in the early ‘80s. We were already expanding Bennigan's, and decided that a Mexican chain would be a good addition to our portfolio of restaurants. We chose the prophetic name of Juan & Only's. And it was. After watching the success that On the Border was having with fajitas we decided that we were too late to the game, and exited the Mexican business.

While at Brinker in the ‘90s we decided to get into the Mexican segment in a big way. First, we acquired On the Border. Then we acquired a Mexican concept that Phil Romano had created called Cozymel's. The two concepts were positioned very differently. On the Border started as a South Texas Cafe emphasizing meats grilled over mesquite, rather than the traditional Tex-Mex fare of enchiladas, tacos, etc. After the acquisition it was repositioned as a Tex-Mex restaurant so that it could be expanded across the country.

Cozymel's had a completely different positioning within the Mexican segment. It specialized in cuisine from the Yucatan peninsula. Lots of seafood, pork, black beans, white rice, white cheeses, among other differentiators. Cozymel's was a big hit in the early years, but over time the customers kept asking for some of the more familiar Tex-Mex staples that they saw in other restaurants like cheese enchiladas, fajitas, etc. Tex-Mex has a strong gravitational pull that makes it difficult for Mexican restaurants in Texas to escape its influence.

Your own preference in Mexican food depends a lot on where you live and what you have grown up with. There is the lighter, healthier form of Cal-Mex in the California markets. There is the more Southwestern version of New Mex-Mex, which is typical in the restaurants of Santa Fe. And then there is the more mainstream version called Tex-Mex, if you are in any of the southern border states, or simply called Mexican if you are farther north of the border. Tex-Mex tends to use more cheese (typically a yellow cheese) and more meats in its menus.

Mexican chains, especially Tex-Mex, have had a hard time sustaining momentum over the decades. Each generation of restaurants improves on the positioning of the prior generation. The first generation included chains like Chi-Chi's and El Torito. The novelty of the cuisine swept the country. The second generation included chains like On The Border, Chevy's, Don Pablo's and Tia's. They offered a newer perspective on both the food and atmosphere, and captured significant market share from the first generation brands.

One difficulty with the Tex-Mex segment is that there has tended to be a lot of concept blurring with both menu and atmosphere among the leading chains. The menus are often a Rubik's Cube of combinations of a limited variety of entrees (hard tacos, enchiladas, tamales, soft tacos, etc.) that blend into a sameness after visiting the fifth or tenth concept. Atmospheres have usually been what Walt Disney would have envisioned as a border town look. Again, after the fifth or tenth concept, the atmospheres are not differentiated.

The third generation of concepts have tackled the lack of differentiation by offering distinctive menus and atmospheres. There are not any large chains at this point, but some of the up and coming concepts are Cantina Laredo, Abuelo's, and my favorite, Mi Cocina. They offer a wider variety of the foods of Mexico, while still retaining a heavy foundation in Tex-Mex favorites. They have also freed themselves from the border town look that has become such a cliché.

Every part of the country has its own Mexican food, and believes that its food is the real version. In Part 2 I would like to try and describe why I have settled in on Mi Cocina as my choice for Tex-Mex. If you don't live in Dallas/Ft. Worth, or Kansas City, you will not be able to be a customer, but I believe that there are lessons for success that are available to other Mexican concepts.

Posted by Lane Cardwell on April 28, 2008 | Comments (1)