3 dishes you must try at Rio Grande in Pflugerville

This investment in Hutto has prospered for 12 years, and Cisneros, who operates the Hutto location, plans to move to a new location sometime in the future for a larger space.

In 2009 the owners sold their Round Rock restaurant with no desire to expand. Again, an opportunity arose, and in 2010 they purchased their current Pflugerville location from a friend.

“We’ve been in the community for so long, close by to high schools and the district,” Maldonado said. “We help the students pay for classes, for uniforms; they work for us for a long time.”

Each time the restaurant expanded, the owners were not expecting the opportunities that fell into place. Based on the support they received from their families, friends and community members, Maldonado said success became possible.

Maldonado said the service and quality of food are the two factors that have kept the restaurants going, and he sees that as unlikely to change.

“It is hard to find quality people; that’s probably the biggest challenge,” he said. “But our employees are so proud to welcome customers—they know them by name, and they love to see kids growing up.”

Rio Grande

Pflugerville location: 15821 Central Commerce Drive, Pflugerville 512-252-1800

Hutto location: 560 Hwy. 79, Hutto 512-759-1449

www.riograndemex.com Hours: Mon.-Thu. 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Fri. 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-10:30 p.m., Sun. 9 a.m.-9 p.m.