Pineda and Lujano come from a family that mainly worked in the food industry. The cousins were born in Mexico City and migrated to Texas with their families at ages 5 and 9, respectively.
The cousins said they knew from a young age that working in the restaurant business was what they wanted to do.
“My biggest motivation has been my grandpa,” Lujano said. “He was the kitchen manager at a restaurant, and he said, ‘I’m going to give you an opportunity, but I want you to start as a washer.’”
Through this opportunity, Lujano worked his way through various restaurants and manager positions. In late 2021, the cousins and Pineda's father, Aureliano Pineda, opened Sueño Modern Mex-Tex.
The restaurant is meant to offer a spin on traditional Tex-Mex dishes, Pineda said. In addition to enchiladas, nachos and quesadillas, he said Sueño offers authentic Mexican dishes such as carnitas, carne asada and birria tacos.
“[Those tacos will use] basically a short rib meat that [is] similar to brisket,” Pineda said. “We’re [also] doing a raw bar that will have some ceviches and aguachiles.”
Lujano said the heart of the restaurant is its family bond and the staff behind it.
“Julio and myself could leave one day and the restaurant will continue to operate,” Lujano said. “But if [the staff] leaves ... then we will need to put a sign up that says we can’t operate.”
Pineda said they recently began looking for staff outside the family because the restaurant needs extra help.
“We’re probably about 90% family-operated,” Pineda said. “My dad [is also] our executive chef in our kitchen.”
The name Sueño Modern Mex-Tex encompasses the achieved dream of owning a restaurant, Lujano said.
Sueño translates to “dream” in Spanish, so when the cousins were choosing a name, they decided on something that represented their vision and could give hope to those who have similar aspirations.
“I believe every person has a dream, and if somehow we can inspire someone else to do the same thing for themselves, that’s where Sueño comes from,” Pineda said.
Sueño Modern Mex-Tex
800 W. Arapaho Road, Richardson
469-372-6739
www.suenomextex.com
Hours: Mon.-Thu. 5-9 p.m., Fri. 5-10 p.m., Sat 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-9 p.m.
