El Jimador, an American dream

Feverish activity is evident at 902 N. State Street. Day and night Mario de Loera and his two partners are working diligently to open an authentic Mexican restaurant, El Jimador.
El Jimador translates as a farmer who harvests agave.
“He is a farmer who works hard,” de Loera said Wednesday afternoon at the site of the new restaurant.
“I saw the name on this big sign,” he said. “We had so many names down but we decided on El Jimador.”
The name is fitting for the restaurant because de Loera and his partners Gerardo Gonzalez and Marcos Macias have worked very hard to follow their dream.
 “It has always been a dream to open a restaurant,” de Loera said. “We saw how much money you could make so we put ourselves together to follow the ‘American Dream.’”
Work to organize the restaurant began Sept. 8.
De Loera came to the U.S. from Mexico in 1998 and has worked at various jobs throughout the years. He has 12 years of restaurant experience. The other men have restaurant experience as well. De Loera said the men wanted to have a voice in this type of business.
“Another reason to open this restaurant was because working at some companies they never give you the chance to be a part of it,” he said. “You work for them and they pay you wages. We wanted to give it a try for ourselves.”
De Loera came to Iola for work in 2006. His wife and three children live in Fort Scott.

MINOR details need to be finished up before the restaurant will open. Inspectors will come soon to examine the restaurant, De Loera said.
“We haven’t set a date to open just yet but it will be sometime in October,” he said.
The restaurant will serve burritos, enchiladas, tacos and even seafood.
“A little bit of everything,” he said.
The intention is to have the restaurant open seven days a week.
Monday through Thursday hours will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., with later closing hours on Fridays, to accommodate people attending sports events, and Saturdays. Sunday hours will be flexible.
De Loera said that there will be seating on a patio at the front of the restaurant for customers who want that dining option.
Previously a Mexican restaurant was at the site of El Jimador but De Loera doesn’t want customers to be confused.
“It is just a local owner that wants a chance to serve and provide good quality food,” he explained.