Why not come and be part of an ambitious restaurant project at The Shops at Willow Bend in Plano, Texas?
“The first thing out of my mouth was, ‘Mall restaurant? I don’t want to open a restaurant in a mall,’” Dunne said.
But then, Tesar showed him the plans. The restaurant would be located next to Tesar’s Knife Steakhouse at the Plano mall. The restaurants, along with several other establishments, would headline the mall’s new restaurant district, part of a $125 million effort to expand and modernize the indoor shopping center off the Dallas North Tollway.
Dunne, who had already moved to North Texas to make a better life for his young children, got on board. He called up his friend Patricio Sandoval, with whom he had worked as a bar manager when Sandoval was a sous chef. Together, they started Mexican Bar Co., which has been open now for more than a year.
Mexican Bar Co. mixes Sandoval’s expertise as a high-end food chef with his love for and knowledge of traditional Mexican fare. Sandoval’s training in French and Mediterranean culinary traditions allows him to provide each dish with a unique blend of subtle flavors, he said.
“Traditional flavors with a flair—different structures, flavor combinations—is definitely a winner,” Sandoval said.
In their first year as co-owners of Mexican Bar Co., foot traffic has been highest on the weekends, Dunne said. Accustomed to the night hours of New York City and other large metropolitan areas, they have implemented nightly specials and adjusted their hours.
They expect they could see even better traffic once more of the mall’s various projects come online, Dunne said.
