Among the numerous offerings listed on the menu at Tino's Too is one special message: "If you do not see your favorite item on the menu, please ask us, and we will do our best to make it for you."

The desire to please his customers is something Tino Trujillo brought with him when he moved to Plano from Glendale, California, decades ago, along with a special dream to open his own restaurant here. Tino had worked in restaurants in California, and wanted to bring his knowledge to Texas.

His first stop was the Plano Chamber of Commerce, where he learned that a potential competitor had closed its doors. Tino moved into that same building in 1976 and launched Tinos Mexican Restaurant. It has been in business ever since and its menu includes everything from soups to salads to seafood, as well as fajitas and enchiladas.

Now 82, Tino is retired, but his nephew, Raul Trujillo, owns and manages the business. Joining the rest of the Trujillo family in 1976, Raul started his career as the dishwasher. Today, his 16-year-old daughter waits tables and his 13-year-old son wants to work there as soon as he is old enough. Raul's dad also worked in the restaurant before he died.

"You have to like what you do in my opinion; and second, you have to keep going," Raul said, in regard to being a small business owner. "There might be rough times but you have to keep going and sometimes you have to work every day. For me ... it's not a burden. You have to like what you do."

The restaurant has moved several times over the years, and there were even multiple Tino's restaurants at one time, Raul said. Nowadays, having one location is best, he said.

"We will just stay here, do a good job and take care of our customers," he said.

The simple red and white, freestanding building on K Avenue has been home to the restaurant since 2000. The Trujillo family bought and remodeled the building that same year.

Saltillo tile blankets the floor, a terra-cotta style of flooring that Raul said Uncle Tino laid by hand. The walls are painted in bright hues and there is a colorful tile backsplash that serves as wall trim all the way around the room.

Like the restaurant, the food is a labor of love as well. Entrees are all handmade on-site. To ensure freshness, Raul ventures to Restaurant Depot in Richardson several times a week to select the right produce himself.

Raul said some of the most popular items on the menu are fajitas, chile rellenos and tamales. Over the years, additional items like menudo were added to the menu. Five years ago, the restaurant also started serving breakfast.

Although Uncle Tino retired about 20 years ago and is living in Mexico, Raul said he has no plans of retiring or closing the family restaurant.

"It runs in the family, the food business that is. I have been in the food business since I was 10 years old. It is in me to do this," Raul said. "I don't know what else I would be doing. We've been here a long time and plan to be here as long as can. We appreciate our customers."