LUBBOCK, Texas- New restaurants have emerged in the Hub City despite struggles caused by the pandemic.
Jose Herrera, owner at La Chaveña said their restaurant opened five months ago and named it after a neighborhood his mother lived in in Juarez, Mexico.
“I like to tell people that we kind of made a crazy decision at a crazy time, which was opening a restaurant,” said Herrera.
Herrera said that common restaurant struggles have included food shortages, price of oil going up and a shortage in Styrofoam supplies.
“I’m thinking, a lot of places where we get products from stuff like they’re they’re just not arriving on time,” said Herrera. “Maybe they don’t have employees.”
Fortunately, Herrera said he hasn’t had too much trouble finding employees and said they have seen a positive response from community and outside visitors.
“We actually get a handful of people [out of town] every month that are headed to places like Albuquerque or just getting in,” said Herrera.
John Osborne, president and CEO of Lubbock Economic Development Alliance, said despite some of the challenges that restaurants and other businesses have faced, the community has been understanding.
“They’ve had good patience when they’ve gone into our restaurants,” Osborne said, “And I think our restaurants are really responding well. They’re they’re providing as great a service as they can provide and in great food.
Osborne said that city’s continued growth and tourism will not only attract major chain restaurants to the area but also help support local businesses.
“We’ve actually grown nearly 50 percent over the last decade in terms of total number of visitors annually, minus the year of COVID, when people were required to stay at home,” said Osborne. “The new tourists that are coming to town presents opportunities for people to want to eat out.”