In June, Jose Aguirre befriended Samuel Carlos and Keila Hernandez—pastors at his church, Iglesia Pentecostes Mana in Denton—and approached them with an idea for a restaurant that had been brewing for 20 years.
“Oh that's nice, what’s going to be the name?” Hernandez asked.
“Wisco,” Jose Aguirre said.
“That's nice. Wisco like Wisconsin,” Hernandez said. “But we live in Texas, so you should add ‘TX’ and call it Wisco Tx.”
Eventually Jose Aguirre asked if his pastors would be interested in becoming investors, and by February, Jose Aguirre, his brother and Hernandez opened a cafe in Lewisville as three-part co-owners.
“What’s the name going to be,” Hernandez asked again.
“Wisco Tx Cafe, like you said,” Jose Aguirre replied.
The details
The rustic earth-toned cafe specializes in breakfast and lunch, but also serves dinner on Fridays, said Nelly Aguirre, who also works there as a server.
Jose Aguirre and his brother Librado curated the menu using their decades of experience in the restaurant industry, crafting dishes such as the WiscoTex skillet—a heap of steak, tomatoes, red and green peppers, onions, and cheddar cheese served on a bed of potatoes and topped with three eggs, Nelly Aguirre said.
Other popular creations include the bacon avocado omelet and a selection of cream cheese filled crepes with different fruit toppings, she said. The cafe also serves breakfast sandwiches and combo plates, where guests can choose between pancakes, French toast and waffles paired with eggs, sausage and bacon.
For lunch the menu features burgers, sandwiches, wraps, chicken and dumplings and daily soups, Hernandez said.
In addition to serving a variety of dishes, the family wanted to offer “Texas sized” portions, Nelly Aguirre said.
“My dad likes portions, so he's like, ‘OK, we are doing it for a good price, but with big portions’ because some restaurants have high prices, but they don’t give customers as much as it costs,” she said.
Zooming in
Jose Aguirre and his brother considered starting the restaurant back in Wisconsin, but it just wasn’t the right time, Hernandez said. Once they moved, everything fell into place. They met Hernandez, saw a vacant spot in Lewisville and seized the opportunity. Hernandez said she jumped in with full confidence.
“They had the menu, and they knew how to work, so we knew it was going to be a success,” she said.
It seemed as though God had answered their prayers, Hernandez said. The brothers could handle the kitchen, and Hernandez would run the front of house. They secured the location Jan. 20, and the entire process from city permits to health inspections was done within a week, she said. Friends, family and church members all pitched in to get things up and running.
“It means a lot to them,” Nelly Aguirre said. “They came from nothing to being someone and something in a whole different state.”
- Opened Feb. 3
- 1322 W. Main St., Lewisville
- 214-513-9919
