Restaurant owner eyes breakout Cinco de Mayo

Michael Roknick, The Herald, Sharon, Pa.
·2 min read

May 4—HERMITAGE — With a sharp knife Antonio Guerrero on Thursday saws the plastic wrapping off of a glistening new patio chair.

"A lot of work," Guerrero said after taking a deep breath.

And then the La Isla manager hunkers down and begins stripping the wrapping off of the next chair with dozens more waiting.

"We'll be ready," he said.

Like other Mexican restaurants Cinco de Mayo, celebrated today, is the biggest day for La Isla. To wow customers the Hermitage restaurant is unveiling its new patio furniture.

"Normally we would have started preparing on Wednesday," Mindy Hernandez, who along with her husband owns La Isla said. "But it rained yesterday so we're doing it today."

This festival celebrates Mexican culture in America.

"We really don't celebrate it much in Mexico," Jose Paotosa, a La Isla employee who is a Mexican native said. "We celebrate our Independence Day."

For many Americans this is a source of mistaken holidays. Mexico's Independence Day is recognized as Sept. 16, 1810, when a Catholic priest called for Mexico to break away from Spain.

Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Mexican Army's May 5, 1862, victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War.

Regardless, Hernandez thinks today's observance could be a breakout for Mexican restaurants.

"This year Cinco de Mayo is on a Friday and next year it's on a Saturday," she said. "Those are the two days of the week people like to go out."

Other non-Mexican restaurants are getting the sense she may be right.

Vey's Pub & Grille in Hermitage, which typically features American cuisine, is taking the plunge.

"We've been featuring Mexican food all week," Owner Thomas Ristvey said.

At La Isla a variety of Mexican foods is the restaurant's bread and butter. On Cinco de Mayo people seem drawn to tacos and fajitas, Hernandez said.

Over the years Hernandez said the restaurant found that over-the-top zesty meals aren't for their mainstream customer.

"But if you want hot and spicy we've got it," she said.

AccuWeather's forecast calls for temperatures in the mid-60s. But early afternoon sunshine will make it feel like the low- to mid-70s.

Hernandez was relieved to hear that. But she found a way to further boost that warm glow at the restaurant's patio.

"I'm sure with the drinks flowing people will feel warm out there," she said.