La Fiesta makes owners? dream come true in Nixa

|tab|

For years, Martin Ortiz and Ito Marquez dreamed of opening their own restaurant. Last year, that dream became a reality with La Fiesta Restaurante Mexicano in Nixa.|ret||ret||tab|

Prior to founding La Fiesta, Ortiz and Marquez spent 15 years working at various restaurants located throughout the United States, including Cielito Lindo Mexicano Restaurante in Springfield, which is owned by Ortiz's cousin. |ret||ret||tab|

"Our restaurant is different because much of the food we serve is southern-style Mexi-can," Ortiz said. "One of our more popular dishes is mole poblano, which is grilled chicken breasts covered in a sauce made from chocolate, salsa and chiles. A lot of our customers also like the pollo loco, which is grilled chicken breasts covered with tomatoes, onions and bell peppers that's topped with a cheese sauce."|ret||ret||tab|

Although La Fiesta specializes in southern-style Mexican cuisine, diners can find a wide variety of traditional favorites on the menu including fajitas, quesadillas, enchiladas, tacos and burritos. Several vegetarian dishes also can be found on the menu. |ret||ret||tab|

All of the meals served at La Fiesta are authentic. Ortiz and Marquez, both of whom were born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico, said authenticity has helped distinguish La Fiesta from other Mexican restaurants in the Springfield area. |ret||ret||tab|

"We do all the cooking ourselves," Ortiz said. "Almost everything is homemade, in-cluding our salsa and chips. We always use the freshest ingredients, and we check each dish to make sure everything is right before it leaves the kitchen."|ret||ret||tab|

Although Ortiz and Marquez have more than their fair share of competitors, through word of mouth, La Fiesta has attracted a regular base of customers, and during the lunch and dinner hours business is brisk. |ret||ret||tab|

"We just make good food, give good service and try to be nice to everyone," Ortiz said. "When you do that, people tell their friends about you."|ret||ret||tab|

Keeping customers happy is a high priority for Ortiz and Marquez. |ret||ret||tab|

So is giving back to the community.|ret||ret||tab|

Last year, Ortiz and Marquez donated 5,000 buy-one-get-one-free meal coupons to the Nixa School District to help the school district raise money. |ret||ret||tab|

The coupons sold well and, according to Ortiz and Mar-quez, approximately 30 to 40 customers per day use one of the coupons to pay for their meal. |ret||ret||tab|

"Everyone who works here lives in Nixa," Ortiz said. "We're part of the community, and we wanted to give something back."|ret||ret||tab|

In addition, Ortiz and Mar-quez plan to celebrate the holiday season this year by giving away free tamales on Christmas Eve. |ret||ret||tab|

Last year, La Fiesta gave away approximately 300 free tamales to people who stopped by the restaurant on Christmas Eve. |ret||ret||tab|

Although Ortiz and Marquez said they enjoyed the intimate family atmosphere of La Fiesta, they would like to expand and perhaps even build their own restaurant some day. |ret||ret||tab|

If that happens, Ortiz and Marquez said they would de-sign the building so customers could watch their meal being prepared. |ret||ret||tab|

"Many people ask us how we make a particular dish," Ortiz said. "I'd like to be able to show our customers how we cook, not just tell them."|ret||ret||tab|

Eight employees assist Ortiz and Marquez at La Fiesta. Three of these employees are family members. |ret||ret||tab|

Working alongside family is important to both men since they work long hours. Current-ly, La Fiesta is open seven days a week. |ret||ret||tab|

"I don't mind the hours because opening this restaurant has been my dream for many years," Ortiz said. "We worked for years to save enough money to be able to do this. Some-times, I thought we never would be able to save enough. Even after we opened, I worried about money. We forgot we needed this. We needed to buy that. We made it, though, and we'll continue to work hard so La Fiesta is a success." [[In-content Ad]]