Maggie Rita's Tex-Mex Grill & Bar is a

Tex-Mex Tex-Mex cuisine (from the words ''Texan'' and ''Mexican'') is an American cuisine, American cuisine that derives from the culinary creations of the Tejanos, ''Tejano'' people of Texas. It has spread from border states such as Texas and others i ...

restaurant in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

. For several years, Maggie Rita's was a restaurant chain with a license co-owned by

Carlos Mencia Ned Arnel "Carlos" Mencía (born October 22, 1967) is a Honduran-American comedian, writer, and actor. His style of comedy is often political and involves issues of race relations, Latin American culture, criminal justice, and social class. He i ...

and Santiago Moreno of Suave Restaurant.Sandler, Eric.
Three Ninfa's Locations Replaced by Maggie Rita's
" ''Houston

Eater Eater may refer to: * Eater (band), an English punk rock group * "Eater" (''Fear Itself''), a 2008 episode of the NBC television horror anthology ''Fear Itself'' * ''Eater'' (novel), a 2000 science fiction novel by Gregory Benford * ''Eater'' (w ...

''. Friday July 6, 2012. In January 2013, Moreno closed the last two locations they owned. Tony Shannard owns the only remaining Maggie Rita's restaurant, which is situated in Houston's JPMorgan Chase Tower.

History

had an interest in food, and his friends suggested that he make a business out of it. Mencia met Santiago Moreno, a restaurateur, who suggested that the two of them start a restaurant chain. Mencia partnered with Moreno,Aulds, T.J.
Comedian Carlos Mencia opens isle restaurant
" ''

Galveston County Daily News ''The Daily News'', formerly the ''Galveston County Daily News'' and ''Galveston Daily News'', is a newspaper published in Galveston, Texas, United States. It was first published April 11, 1842, making it the oldest newspaper in the U.S. state of ...

''. August 2, 2010. Retrieved on August 23, 2012. who along with David Quintanilla, was one of the two principals of the Restaurant Resource Management Group, to open Maggie Rita's. The first Maggie Rita's opened was located in the Galleria area of

. T.J. Aulds of the ''

'' characterized the opening as a "test run" and Mencia said that "We learned a lot from that experience. We tweaked a lot of things from what we learned there." Shortly after

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...

hit

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, Maggie Rita's opened in that city. Around 2007 a former

Houlihan's Houlihan's is an American casual restaurant and bar chain with locations operating throughout the country, 60% of which are franchised. It is headquartered in Leawood within Johnson County, Kansas. The first Houlihan's opened on April 1, 1972, ...

location in Houston was replaced with Maggie Rita's. Allison Wollam of the ''

Houston Business Journal American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes The Business Journals, which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States, Hemmings Motor News ...

'' called the restaurant "a new upscale Mexican food concept." In 2009 Syd Kearney of 29-95 said that Maggie Rita's was an "upscale Tex-Mex sports bar." The Maggie Rita's in

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...

opened on July 29, 2010 in the Armour & Co. building in The Strand district.Wollam, Allison.
Carlos Mencia opens Maggie Rita's
" ''

''. August 9, 2010. Retrieved on October 23, 2012. The Galveston location was the number three Maggie Rita's. Maggie Rita's had replaced a

Fuddrucker's Fuddruckers (sometimes abbreviated Fudds) is an American fast casual, franchised restaurant chain that specializes in hamburgers. The Fuddruckers concept is to offer large hamburgers in which the meat is ground on-site and buns are baked on the ...

location. Laura Elder of ''

The Galveston County Daily News ''The Daily News'', formerly the ''Galveston County Daily News'' and ''Galveston Daily News'', is a newspaper published in Galveston, Texas, United States. It was first published April 11, 1842, making it the oldest newspaper in the U.S. state of ...

'' said "some saw it as a strong sign of Hurricane Ike recovery and welcome investment in the island’s downtown."Elder, Laura.
Maggie Rita's bids adios to island
" ''

''. January 16, 2012. Retrieved on August 23, 2012. By January 2012 the restaurant in Galveston had closed. In mid-2012, the three remaining franchised

Ninfa's The Original Ninfa's on Navigation is a popular Mexican restaurant located at 2704 Navigation Boulevard in Houston, Texas. The restaurant serves both Tex-Mex and Mexican cuisine. The Original Ninfa's was started by Ninfa Rodríguez Laurenzo, a ...

locations owned by Santiago Moreno, in the Kirby Drive area, the Galleria area, and the

Interstate 45 Interstate 45 (I-45) is a major Interstate Highway located entirely within the US state of Texas. While most Interstate routes which have numbers ending in "5" are cross-country north–south routes, I-45 is comparatively short, with the ...

Gulf Freeway area, were converted into Maggie Rita's. Katharine Shilcutt of the ''

Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely by advertising ...

'' rated the food at the new restaurants negatively and said that " represents a new nadir for a once-respected and beloved Houston Tex-Mex institution."Shilcutt, Katharine. "Maggie Rita's Takes Over Ninfa's." ''

''. Wednesday August 15, 2012
1
Retrieved on August 22, 2012. Shilcutt further added that the takeover caused an "uproar" in Houston and that "to many longtime Houstonians (me ��''sic''⁠.html" ;"title="sic.html" ;"title="��''sic">��''sic''⁠">sic.html" ;"title="��''sic">��''sic''⁠included), the deal with interloper Maggie Rita's may as well have been a pact with the devil."Shilcutt, Katharine.
How the Mighty Have Fallen: Ninfa's Finds Its Nadir with Maggie Rita's
" ''

''. Wednesday August 15, 2012. Retrieved on August 22, 2012. As of April 2013 only one Maggie Rita's restaurant remains in operation.

Locations

The chain had locations in

, Galveston, and

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

.Saldaña, Hector.
Carlos Mencia is cooking up some big ideas
" ''

San Antonio Express-News The ''San Antonio Express-News'' is a daily newspaper in San Antonio, Texas. It is owned by the Hearst Corporation and has offices in San Antonio and Austin, Texas. The ''Express-News'' is the third largest newspaper in the state of Texas, with ...

'' at the ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...

''. Wednesday August 11, 2010. Retrieved on August 22, 2012. The Galveston and New Orleans locations closed by 2012. The restaurant's Houston locations included Travis Street/Downtown (the J.P. Morgan Chase Tower in

Downtown Houston Downtown is the largest central business district in the city of Houston and the largest in the state of Texas, located near the geographic center of the metropolitan area at the confluence of Interstate 10 in Texas, Interstate 10, Interstate 45, ...

), Galleria (

Uptown Houston Uptown (more commonly called The Galleria Area) is a business district in Houston, located west of Downtown and is centered along Post Oak Boulevard and Westheimer Road (Farm to Market Road 1093). The Uptown District is roughly bounded by W ...

, near

The Galleria The Galleria, stylized theGalleria and also known as the Houston Galleria, is an upscale mixed-use urban development and shopping mall located in the Uptown District of Houston, Texas, United States.Hobby Airport William P. Hobby Airport (colloquially referred to as Hobby Airport, Houston Hobby, or simply Hobby) is an international airport in Houston, Texas, located from downtown Houston. Hobby is Houston's oldest commercial airport, and was its primar ...

), Heights (on

Shepherd Drive A shepherd or sheepherder is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. ''Shepherd'' derives from Old English ''sceaphierde (''sceap'' 'sheep' + ''hierde'' 'herder'). ''Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations, i ...

, near

Houston Heights Houston Heights (often referred to simply as "The Heights") is a community in northwest-central Houston, Texas, United States. "The Heights" is often referred to colloquially to describe a larger collection of neighborhoods next to and including ...

), and

Upper Kirby Upper Kirby is a commercial district in Houston, Texas, United States. It is named after Kirby Drive, so indirectly takes its name from John Henry Kirby. Upper Kirby contains many businesses, including restaurants. Upper Kirby is east of the Gre ...

. The Kirby location closed in November 2012. The Galleria location closed the following month. In January 2013, due to rising rents, the Heights location closed. The closures led to 60 employees losing their jobs. Tony Shannard operates the Maggie Rita's in Downtown under a licensing agreement.Zucker, Shaina.
EXCLUSIVE: Maggie Rita's closes Galleria, Shepherd locations
" ''

''. Friday January 18, 2013. Retrieved on March 20, 2013. As of that month, he planned to open another Downtown Maggie Rita's within 30 days, but as of January 2019 the Maggie Rita's website lists only one location. The former Kirby location became the new location of the Houston-area Tex-Mex restaurant Pico's.An update on Pico’s move to Kirby
" 29-95 at the ''

''. Wednesday June 19, 2013. Retrieved on June 24, 2013.

Concept

Santiago Moreno said that the chain differs heavily from

, with emphasis on less-filling food and margaritas. Moreno said that the customers "are old

Taco Bell Taco Bell is an American-based chain of fast food restaurants founded in 1962 by Glen Bell (1923–2010) in Downey, California. Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican-inspired foods, includi ...

clients who grew up with Taco Bell as Mexican food" and that " eir palates don't appreciate what we grew up with as Mexican food." Moreno said that Ninfa's served a "heavy product" which a "strong" person would be able to eat on two occasions in a week, while with Maggie Rita's offers a "lighter" product that can easily be consumed on two or three occasions in a week. Moreno added that "consumer decisions are made by women" and he concluded that "what makes a woman decide where to eat Mexican food ��⁠. ⁠. ⁠. ⁠has to do with margaritas ��⁠; it ⁠has nothing to do with food." Katharine Shilcutt of the ''

'' criticized Moreno's statements, arguing that by "catering to the lowest common denominator", the chain is allowing the food quality to suffer, and furthermore by "underestimating a market like Houston, which is saturated with excellent Tex-Mex restaurants, and ��⁠which contains ⁠a consumer base possessed of a smart, experienced palate that will only suffer through a bowl of garlic-and-tomato salsa once, never to return again", the chain's restaurants would not succeed in the

Greater Houston Greater Houston, designated by the United States Office of Management and Budget as Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land, is the fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical area in the United States, encompassing nine counties along the Gulf Co ...

area.Shilcitt, Katharine. "Maggie Rita's Takes Over Ninfa's." ''

''. Wednesday August 15, 2012
2
Retrieved on August 22, 2012. At the Shepherd Drive location in Houston, patrons parking on the premises were required to use a valet service.

Reception

Shilcutt characterized the menu as "a jumbled, pan-Latin menu" which includes

fajitas A fajita (; ), in Tex-Mex cuisine, is any stripped grilled meat with stripped peppers and onions usually served on a flour or corn tortilla. The term originally referred to skirt steak, the cut of beef first used in the dish. Popular alternativ ...

, chips and salsa,

queso flameado ''Queso flameado'' (Spanish for "flamed cheese"; also ''queso fundido'', "melted cheese" or ''choriqueso'') is a dish of hot melted cheese and spicy chorizo that is often served flambé. Often compared to cheese fondue, it is a party dish; ...

arepa ''Arepa'' () is a type of food made of ground maize dough stuffed with a filling, eaten in the northern region of South America since pre-Columbian times, and notable primarily in the cuisine of Colombia and Venezuela, but also present in the cuis ...

s, chimichangas, "

Ecuadorian Ecuadorians ( es, ecuatorianos) are people identified with the South American country of Ecuador. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Ecuadorians, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collect ...

ceviche Ceviche () is a Peruvian dish typically made from fresh raw fish cured in fresh citrus juices, most commonly lime or lemon. It is also spiced with '' ají'', chili peppers or other seasonings, and julienned red onions, salt, and cilantro are al ...

" (similar to campechana) and "deconstructed salmon

tamales A tamale, in Spanish tamal, is a traditional Mesoamerican dish made of masa, a dough made from nixtamalized corn, which is steamed in a corn husk or banana leaf. The wrapping can either be discarded prior to eating or used as a plate. Tamales ...

." The restaurant chain has several varieties of

margarita A margarita is a cocktail consisting of Tequila, triple sec, and lime juice often served with salt on the rim of the glass. The drink is served shaken with ice (on the rocks), blended with ice (frozen margarita), or without ice (straight up). T ...

s and cocktails. She said that Maggie Rita's was not well received in Houston because Mencia was not a Texan or a Mexican and because it had taken over

locations.Shilcutt, Katharine. "Rest(aurants) in Peace: Notable Closings of 2012." ''

''. Monday December 10, 2012
3
Retrieved on March 27, 2013. Eric Sandler of ''Houston

'' said that after the 2012 conversion of some Ninfa's locations in Houston, some internet users reacted negatively to the new restaurant, while one argued that the food was "better than expected." Shilcutt reviewed the restaurant on Shepherd Drive in Houston and gave a very negative review of the food, arguing that it had a bad flavor and was overpriced. In 2012 Shilcutt said that "Maggie Rita's served none of the old Ninfa's recipes, but served its own ham-fisted versions of Tex-Mex food that somehow cost even more than the already overpriced Ninfa's that came before." She also said that " e takeover of three Ninfa's locations in Houston by Maggie Rita's represents the latest and possibly saddest chapter in the Tex-Mex chain's history, and certainly the nadir of Ninfa's existence" because the chain "itself may well represent a nadir unto itself in the world of Houston Tex-Mex." Commenting on the opening of the Galveston location in 2010, Laura Elder of ''

'' said that while she "visited only once when the restaurant still was working out the kinks" she felt "I thought the food was ok" and "I’ve had better, especially on the island, where the Tex-Mex trade is pretty competitive and some local families are very good at what they do. " She added that "What sort of put me off about Maggie Rita’s was that they served the food on disposable plates" since those are often used at barbecues and picnics but not at fine restaurants. Elder reasoned that "I did think the prices were extremely reasonable" and that "perhaps their plate delivery hadn't yet arrived and I was making a rash assessment." Elder did not have the margaritas, and she said they "probably would have lightened up my view of the eatery."

References

External links