Mexican eatery a crowd favorite

Growing up in Chicago in the 1980s, Sergio Hernandez learned the restaurant business at the feet of his parents, who ran their own eatery in the Windy City.

When it came time to break out on his own, Hernandez headed north to Wisconsin and discovered that being a young entrepreneur with a dream is not always easy.

It was not until he came across a vacant fast-food place in Antigo in 2010 that Hernandez finally got the chance to demonstrate his potential as owner of his own Mexican restaurant, which he called El Tequila.

Now the owner of three El Tequila Mexican Restaurant outlets, Hernandez says the most successful of them is the Shawano location that opened in 2013 and has become a crowd-pleaser among Mexican food lovers locally.

“It’s my go-to place,” said Kevin Meyer, a regular who appreciates the restaurant’s friendly staff and relaxed atmosphere.

Especially because the Shawano area does not have many quality Mexican eateries, Meyer said he is grateful that El Tequila serves up burritos, enchiladas and fajitas that are authentic and among the best Mexican food he has found anywhere.

“It’s pretty good,” he said. “It’s right up there.”

Hernandez was not sure what to expect when he found a Chinese restaurant, known as China Wok, available for purchase on the east side of Shawano at 1240 E. Green Bay St. He had been looking for a chance to open a Shawano location, however, so he decided to give it a try.

The businessman invested heavily in remodeling and updating the property, which opened as El Tequila in October 2013. Before long, crowds began flocking to the place for lunch, dinner, margaritas and the occasional live mariachi music.

The restaurant can seat about 110 people.

Nancy Smith, executive director of the Shawano Country Chamber of Commerce, said chamber officials are pleased to have El Tequila expanding the variety of restaurants available to local residents and visitors. She said the El Tequila owner has shown good business savvy.

“He’s got the right formula in place,” she said. “Great food, great service and a fun atmosphere.”

Hernandez said the Shawano location is outperforming his original Antigo restaurant and a New London location that he opened along the way.

Shawano restaurant-goers have definitely warmed up to El Tequila, Hernandez said.

“I’m happy with the outcome,” he said. “It’s more than I thought it would be.”

Customers say they keep coming back for the colorful restaurant’s atmosphere, the customer service and, of course, the food.

Julie Patterson called it one of her favorite places to eat, saying she enjoys trying new dishes from the generous number of choices on the menu. The quality of the food is what has won her over.

“I’ll give it an eight out of 10,” she said.

A lunchtime regular, Pat Anderson said he is impressed by the affordable prices, considering how good the food is. Noting the difficulty of finding Mexican food in Shawano, Anderson said he typically spends his lunch hour at El Tequila a couple of times each week.

“It’s fast, it’s cheap, and it’s good,” he said. “It meets the need.”

Riding high after his success in Shawano, Hernandez is currently building his fourth El Tequila in Manitowoc.

The new restaurant will be larger than the Shawano establishment, and it will feature a separate bar. What is most different, however, is that Hernandez is building the place from scratch rather than taking over an old location.

Unlike his early struggles trying to finance his first restaurant, the 33-year-old entrepreneur has found that a successful track record makes it easier to get creditors to back his ambitious dreams.

“In the beginning, nobody wanted to give me a dollar,” he said. “Now, six years later, it’s amazing.”