After opening a second location along Hwy. 249 in Tomball in 2018 and weathering the coronavirus pandemic thus far, Sam said the key to standing out is championing quality food with competitively low prices.
“[Our] spices are super different; the plates are very traditional,” he said. “[Our food] is made fresh. ... There’s two people back there from 7 in the morning ... prepping, and for a low-volume company, it’s always harder to maintain because obviously there’s a cost incorporated with that.”
Sam said the financial cost of using quality ingredients for low-priced dishes is balanced by reducing labor costs, as he and his two brothers manage and work alongside their employees.
“When I mean work, [all three of us] work—not in the office—we’re floor managers, cooks, waiters sometimes, depending on situations, but we’re always in the building,” he said.
According to Sam, the restaurant took a hard hit at the onset of the pandemic, with sales dropping to almost 20% in the first week of mandated dining room closures in March. To adapt, Sam said the restaurant revisited its mission of serving good food at low prices, offering to-go products such as $10 fajita plates and margaritas to go by the gallon at $38.
In addition to aggressive online advertising, Sam said the pandemic-related business closures helped the restaurant gain new clientele as customers were more willing than ever to try new places.
“[With] us being open, they’re like, ‘Oh, I’ll just give them a try,’ which gave us a spotlight, and we’ve kept those clients,” Sam said. “So [COVID-19] actually helped us, not in the first week, but due to, again, some smart adjustments, we got lucky.”
Daily Deals
Aguirre’s Tex-Mex offers a selection of daily specials on food and drinks.
Monday Madness
Taco Tuesday
Enchilada Wednesday
Fajita Fiesta Thursday
Happy Hour Friday
Seafood Saturdays
Family Sunday Funday
Aguirre’s Tex-Mex
27727 Business 249, Tomball
832-559-8804
www.aguirrestexmex.com
Hours: Sun.-Thu. 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-10:30 p.m.
