MADISON — Los Compadres Mexican Restaurants chain not only is surviving the present economy but also it is thriving and expanding.
The proof is in the flan and in the fact that Los Compadres recently opened another Mexican restaurant at 1410 Hubbard Road, Madison.
“My family owns six stores all together, in Ohio and Pennsylvania,” said Luis Navarro, 27, of Ashtabula, who supervises the Ashtabula, Greenville, Pa., and Madison locations.
“The Ashtabula location was our first store. We opened in 2003,” he said.
Navarro, who was born in Mexico but reared in Los Angeles, was the driving force behind his family owning its own restaurant.
“My older brother, Armando, moved out here first, to the Ashtabula area, to work in a restaurant, and I followed him. I kept saying we need to open our own restaurant; there is no competition here for a Mexican restaurant,” he said.
After some more convincing, Luis and Armando opened their first Compadres at the West Avenue location, and soon the rest of the family followed.
“At first, it was really hard because I was only 20. It was a lot of hard work and stressful,” Luis said. “But I am used to it now. I like being busy.”
Even in this tough economic climate, Navarro is confident that with the help of his close-knit family, the new Madison restaurant will be a huge success.
“When I opened in Madison, a lot of people were waiting for the restaurant to open. Many people from Madison were already driving to Ashtabula to eat our Mexican food, and now they say they can come as often as they want,” he said.
In the summer, the Madison location will have an outdoor patio.
Some of the secrets of Los Compadres’ success include the food, prompt service, reasonable prices and a marketing plan.
“All of our recipes are our parents’ (José and Guillermina Navarro), and they taught us how to make them,” Luis said. “Everything we make here is fresh and from scratch.”
“And all of our stores are consistent: Food, service, cleanliness and prices will be the same,” he said. “We are not a franchise. All of our restaurants are owned by our family, and we created the name and the logo.”
Navarro’s younger brother Jerry manages the Greenville restaurant.
Mike Rutkowski, of Conneaut, was enjoying lunch with his friend Bill March, of Ashtabula Township, in the Ashtabula Los Compadres.
“We eat lunch here about once a week. I like it that although it is dine-in, they are very fast and it is always good,” Rutkowski said.
“I’m hooked on the salsa and chips,” March said. “I come here with my wife and mother-in-law quite often.”
Navarro believes in the benefits of marketing and advertises in the newspaper and on the radio.
“You have to let people know you are there and confident about what you are doing,” he said. “We really appreciate the business of our regulars, and we are still attracting new people all the time.”
Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
For further information on the Madison Los Compadres, call 440-983-4755.
Other restaurants are located at 1809 S. Center St., Grove City, Pa.; 14 S. Mercer, Greenville, Pa.; and 16704 Conneaut Lake Road and 251 Chestnut St., both in Meadville, Pa.
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Los Compadres opens sixth store in Madison
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