| By OnMilwaukee.com Staff Writers |
| Published May 4, 2006 at 5:21 p.m. |
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Marc Bianchini, owner of Osteria del Mondo and Cubanita's, has joined forces with Juan's Mexicali, 8880 S. Howell Ave. in Oak Creek. Bianchini will work with the other owners, Tim Dertz and Jason Fox of Lava Java and the Fifth Ward Development, to take the restaurant to the next level.
"Tim and Jason really have excellent business minds and I'm looking forward to positioning Juan's as a leader in the fast-casual restaurant business," said Bianchini. "I think you're going to be seeing Juan's popping up all over the city, county and state."
Juan's, a Mexican/Californian blend restaurant, is based in Denver. The Oak Creek location opened in December 2004, and according to Juan's spokesperson Mary Christine, they plan to open more chains in the future.
"There is talk of Waukesha County next with more talk of (one opening) closer to downtown," said Christine.
Although similar to Qdoba and Chipotle, Juan's has more seafood options -- such as mahi tacos and salmon wrap -- and the tortillas are made in front of customers. Also, customers do not have to wait at the counter for their orders, which are delivered to the table.
"You can purchase the dips like at a grocery store, and the range of sauces is like no other restaurant," said Christine.
Prices are moderate, ranging from $2.25 to $5.99. Beer, wine and margaritas are on the menu for over-21 customers.
"We really want to create a relaxing environment for our guests, with the most difficult part of their visit being deciding what to order," said Bianchini.
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4 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review. |
Recent Talkbacks ...
Posted by OMCreader on May 5, 2006 at 2:29 p.m. (report)
Oak Creek Worker said: I work a few blocks from Juan's and their food is crap! They may boast more seafood on the menu, but the shrimp is disgusting and made a coworker sick! The rice is watery and there is absolutely no flavor in their food. Though I am not a huge fan of Qdoba, I prefer to go there instead because the quality is better. I really wish we had a Chipotle in Oak Creek since their meat quality is the best of the three.
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Posted by OMCreader on May 4, 2006 at 7:29 p.m. (report)
James said: Never heard of this place. It sounds good and yes, a downtown location, would be nice.
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Posted by OMCreader on May 4, 2006 at 7:23 p.m. (report)
Paul B said: I am a regular of this place and was a big fan from the start when it opened. Several months ago, however, it seemed to slip a bit, especially the service, but even the quality of the food a bit, it seemed. I kind of stopped going for about two months and recently returned again a couple times and was again a bit more pleased with my experiences. The tortillas are now ,as stated, made fresh. Previously, they came out of a bag and more often than not, seemd unfresh and tended to rip apart before the burritos were even made. The chips are also much improved. Before they were almost always stale. Probably a good thing for them since a Qdoba recently opened 1 block north of them. Without the improvements, I could not have seen them staying in business for long. There still does not seem to be much business whenever I'm there in the evenings though. One point I must make though is that orders ARE picked up at the counter, not delivered to your table as stated, unless this has changed from my visit last Monday. I really hope more locations do open up, as this is a rather nice alternative to Qdoba, which is also good, but a dime a dozen in these parts. Try "da bomb" hot sauce, it is crazy nuts!
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Posted by OMCreader on May 4, 2006 at 6:21 p.m. (report)
Sue, Bay View said: What ever happened to the vacant TNT restaurant building on KK and Pryor in Bayview? Sounds like a prime spot for Juan's!
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