There’s a good chance when visiting Mi Mexico that one of the friendly faces that seats you, takes your order or cooks your meal was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. The other common thread at Mi Mexico is the last name of Lopez, as in Alejandro, Rosita and Laura Lopez, and Maricela (Lopez) and Ricardo Vazquez, just a part of the family members who proudly work to make Mi Mexico the very best Mexican, and according to Ricardo, the very first authentic Mexican restaurant, in Minot.
For the family members who came to Minot hoping to move into a completed building in 2008, there were several struggles. “We came here expecting that we would have our restaurant, actually our dream, up and running in just a couple of months. We got here and the building, our original building next to Wal Mart was far from being finished.”
But with a strong faith in God and love for their families, Ricardo and Alejandro pressed on. Rather than wait for construction crews to finish the restaurant, their family took on the task of sheet rocking and even laying tile. “We had bruised and bloody knees” says Ricardo “and we had little kids in child seats” laughed Lopez.
Lopez and Vazquez became naturalized citizens not long after coming to Minot. There were 9 children in the Lopez family. Alejandro ended up crossing into the United States illegally, but he soon, again through hard work, was able to gain his Visa and return to the U.S. He would marry his wife, Rosita, and they worked together to gain residency. Besides the restaurant, residency in the United States was part of their ongoing dream.
Vazquez was 20 years old when he obtained a visa in 1995 to work temporarily in the United States. He was also from the Guadalajara area. In 1999 he received a visa that enabled him to come back to the United States and begin working toward gaining residency.
The trip to Minot to look at the possibility of opening a restaurant near Wal Mart would be the beginning of their journey. In 2008, after 2 months of hard work, and with very little working capitol left, they did indeed open Mi Mexico.
The experience at Mi Mexico begins as you enter the door. “We want people to feel welcomed” says Vazquez “and because of the family ties in the restaurant, pretty much everyone here takes pride in what they do.” In the Lopez family, besides Alejandro, there are 3 other Lopez sisters that came to Minot. Of the 3 sisters, Maricela (Mary for those of us who need things simple) is married to Ricardo.
Other family businesses include Magic City Car Wash and the Lopez Boxing Gym.
For Mi Mexico, their new location has allowed them to expand and even build a new roof top dining area. Inside the restaurant you get a true Mexican dining experience, both from the atmosphere and the menu that provides a satisfactory dining choice for everyone.
And those kids who once were in child seats and strollers when the first restaurant was built, well it’s been over 16 years since those days, and many of those kids have worked, or are continuing to work, at Mi Mexico, Magic City Car Wash or Lopez Boxing Gym. Lopez and Vazquez certainly strongly agree on many aspects of doing business in Minot, “people really care about you here” says Vazquez “and Minot is our home. People ask me where I am from? I tell them my home is in Minot.”
“Yes” says Vazquez “it started out as God and family, and it’s still God and family.”
