There are many benefits to getting your Mexican restaurant as close to the authentic real-deal as possible: There’s plenty of ‘Mexican’ options when it comes to both eating in and eating out these days. Offering yet another Mexican dining experience might not be enough to set you apart from the crowd and get your restaurant finance in a good place. But authentic Mexican food in an authentic Mexican restaurant… now that would be something to set you apart and get those diners returning time and time again.
Here’s a few ways you can spice up the Mexican feel and make a great impression on your customers.
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Want to Make Mexican Restaurant Authentic? Make it Closer to Mexican Culture
The first and best way to make your Mexican restaurant as authentic as possible is to keep it as close to Mexican culture as possible. An authentic Mexican restaurant should be an apt portrayal of the Mexican culture so use decor, art and designs that pay homage to the beauty and history of the Mexican people and culture.
Give your restaurant an authentic Mexican homelike feeling. Use traditional materials and Mexican cultural artifacts like handmade baskets to create the right feel. Play Mexican folk music in the background so as to give a pure Mexican aura to the restaurant. To pull this off convincingly however and not just look like a Mexican-themed restaurant, you must closely study the Mexican culture and do your research.
Take Your Salsa Seriously
Another thing that determines the authenticity of a Mexican restaurant is the flavors of the salsa served there. If a restaurant serves only one flavor of salsa, it cannot be a genuinely Mexican restaurant! Ensure that your restaurant specialists in preparing and serving more than one flavor of salsa.
By taking your salsa seriously and giving it the attention and respect it deserves, you can make your restaurant an authentic Mexican restaurant!
Treat Margarita the Opposite to Salsa – Limit it to Mint Only!
A Mexican restaurant claiming to have more than one flavor of margarita shows its inauthentic colors straight away! This is because you will only ever find one flavor of margarita in a true Mexican restaurant and that is the one mixed with lemon juice, lime and tequila.
Beware of Serving Lettuce With Your Tacos!
What we tend to think of as Mexican food – the shop bought ‘Mexican’ style food kits that makes it way onto our plates every Taco Tuesday, is a world away from genuine, authentic Mexican food.
To be truly authentic, your Mexican restaurant should serve its tacos with just onions, coriander and/or lime. If it contains lettuce or tomato or in fact any kind of salad, you will lose authenticity and not be able to call yourself a truly Mexican restaurant! That’s because salad in tacos is an American addition. By Mexican standards, the tacos that Americans eat are definitely *not* tacos. That’s not to say salad can’t be served as an accompaniment to your Mexican food, but putting it inside the taco is a definite no-no.
Football! Football! On every screen in the Restaurant
If your restaurant does not show football, then change its name from Mexican! Football is as important to the Mexican culture as salsa. Everyone in Mexico loves playing and watching football. Therefore, football on the screens in your restaurant will certainly add to its authenticity as a Mexican restaurant.
Make your staff communicate at their ease
Can it really be a Mexican restaurant if no-one speaks Spanish? Of course you want your staff to speak in whichever language they communicate best to customers in, but you could go the extra mile and make your restaurant that bit more authentic and find some Mexican waiting staff or chefs. It would certainly help bring some of the real Mexico to your diners’ tables.
In short, if you would like to make your Mexican restaurant more authentic, then take the time to study the real foods, drinks and culture of Mexico. Don’t copy the tired formula of other Mexican restaurants and think that a few sombreros placed around the restaurant will do the trick. Make your restaurant different and bring the beautiful Mexican culture and cuisine to people’s hearts. They will certainly be sure to visit again if you do.
