La Bamba Mexican Restaurant

Last updated
La Bamba West, Inc.
  • La Bamba Mexican Restaurant
  • La Bamba Burritos
TypePrivate
IndustryRestaurant
Founded1987;35 years ago (1987) in Champaign, Illinois, US
FoundersRamiro Aguas
Antonio Aguas
Headquarters
Champaign, Illinois
,
US
Number of locations
8 (2019)
Area served
ProductsTex Mex cuisine
OwnersAguas family
Website labambaburritos.com

La Bamba West, Inc., doing business as La Bamba Mexican Restaurant and La Bamba Burritos, [1] [2] is a fast casual restaurant chain that was started in 1987 and is based in Champaign, Illinois. Their locations remain open late at night, serving Tex-Mex cuisine under the slogan "burritos as big as your head". The restaurants are located predominantly in college communities within the American Midwest. [3]

Contents

Description

La Bamba Mexican Restaurant is a Mexican fast casual restaurant chain that was started in the Illinois city of Champaign in 1987. [4] They are known for their slogan "burritos as big as your head", [4] [5] [6] its hot sauce, [7] and for being open late. [3] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [7] [13] While all serve Tex-Mex cuisine, [14] some have expanded menus. [15] Their restaurants often have artwork depicting athletes with burritos for heads. [7] [16] [17]

History

In 1987, brothers Ramiro and Antonio Aguas opened the first La Bamba restaurant near the main campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. [18] [4] [11] Named for the song of the same name, [3] it expanded into a franchise family-owned by La Bamba Mexican Restaurants Group, [12] [19] which had at least 27 locations [4] [20] in the central states with plans of possible expansion into Georgia, Tennessee, and Minnesota in 1997. [3] As of March 2019, there were 8 locations in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, and Wisconsin. [9]

Antonio was abducted at gunpoint outside his Champaign business and held for ransom for several days after being transported across the state border in 2006. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Portland, Indiana law enforcement efforts led to the safe return of Antonio and the arrest of two suspects. [4]

La Bamba Mexican Restaurants Group was named in 2007 lawsuits by the Ohio Attorney General against Citibank and Campus Dimensions Inc. [21] [22] Advertisements offered free burritos to students without mentioning that applying for a credit card was required to receive the offer. [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

Tex-Mex Cuisine in America

Tex-Mex cuisine is an American and Texan cuisine that derives from the culinary creations of the Tejano people of Texas. It has spread from border states such as Texas and others in the Southwestern United States to the rest of the country.

Chilis Casual dining restaurant chain

Chili's Grill & Bar is an American casual dining restaurant chain. The company was founded by Larry Lavine in Texas in 1975 and is currently owned and operated by Brinker International.

Chevys Fresh Mex

Chevys Fresh Mex is an American chain of Mexican-style casual dining restaurants located in the United States. The chain was founded in 1986 by Warren Simmons in Alameda, California. The chain's headquarters are currently located in Cypress, California. The chain is owned by Xperience Restaurant Group.

Baja Fresh

Baja Fresh is an American chain of fast-casual Tex Mex restaurants founded in Newbury Park, California in 1990 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona and is owned by Canadian franchisor MTY Food Group. The chain emphasizes fresh ingredients, each restaurant featuring a self-serve salsa bar.

Chimichanga

A chimichanga is a deep-fried burrito that is common in Tex-Mex and other Southwestern U.S. cuisine. The dish is typically prepared by filling a flour tortilla with various ingredients, most commonly rice, cheese, beans, and a meat such as machaca, carne adovada, carne seca, or shredded chicken, and folding it into a rectangular package. It is then deep-fried, and can be accompanied by salsa, guacamole, sour cream, or carne asada.

Qdoba

Qdoba Mexican Eats ( kew-DOH-bə) is a chain of fast casual restaurants in the United States and Canada serving Mexican-style cuisine. After spending 15 years as a wholly owned subsidiary of Jack in the Box, the company was sold to a consortium of funds led by Apollo Global Management in March 2018. At the time of the sale in 2018, Qdoba had more than 700 locations in 47 states, the District of Columbia and Canada.

Moes Southwest Grill Fast casual chain of Mexican restaurants

Moe's Southwest Grill, referred to informally as Moe's, is an American fast casual restaurant franchise chain that was founded in Atlanta, Georgia, in December 2000 by Raving Brands. The name "Moe's" originated as an acronym for "Musicians, Outlaws and Entertainers," and this theme led to the music-related artwork found in the original design.

Don Pablos

Don Pablo's was an American chain of Tex-Mex restaurants founded in Lubbock, Texas, in 1985. The menu featured Tex-Mex items, made-from-scratch salsa, tortillas and sauces, and a range of other Mexican specialties. At one time, this chain had as many as 120 locations throughout the United States and was the second largest full-service Mexican restaurant chain within the United States during the late 1990s, second only to Chi-Chi's. The chain had 34 restaurants in 14 states when it was acquired in 2014 by Food Management Partners. By October 2016, the chain was reduced to 12 restaurants in 9 states, 6 restaurants in 4 states by July 2018, 5 restaurants in 3 states by September 2018, and later 3 restaurants in 3 states by November 2018. The remaining restaurants in the struggling chain gradually and quietly closed over the next seven months until the last restaurant in Deptford Township, New Jersey, finally closed on June 23, 2019.

Chi-Chis

Chi-Chi's can either refer to a Mexican food restaurant chain founded in the United States in 1975, which continued in Europe only after the North American owner declared bankruptcy and folded in 2004, or to its namesake brand of Mexican food grocery products produced and marketed when the original North American restaurant chain owner sold the rights to use its name on said products in 1987.

Rosas Cafe American authentic Tex-Mex restaurant chain

Rosa's Cafe is an American authentic Tex-Mex fast-casual restaurant chain with beginnings in West Texas. Rosa's has expanded to 47 locations across Texas. Additionally, there are restaurants in Hobbs, New Mexico, and one franchised unit in Temecula, California. The restaurants are well known for their "Tuesdays Were Made for Tacos" promotion.

Tijuana Flats American restaurant chain

Tijuana Flats Tex-Mex is a privately-held American restaurant chain serving Tex-Mex cuisine. It has over 135 locations throughout Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, and Indiana. Tijuana Flats restaurants are fast-casual hybrids with fresh food, hot sauce bars, art murals and off-beat culture. Customers order at the front counter and are served after taking a seat.

Tumbleweed Tex Mex Grill & Margarita Bar

Tumbleweed Tex Mex Grill & Margarita Bar is a chain restaurant based in Louisville, Kentucky. It serves an American-Mexican cuisine in a combination Tex-Mex and Southwest style. They specialize in a chili con queso. Tumbleweed's menu includes Continental food, encompassing such foods as chicken and steak. The other major style of cuisine is a Mexican-themed menu, including burritos, chimichangas, and house salads.

Burrito Tex-Mex dish consisting of a wheat flour tortilla wrapped to enclose the filling

A burrito is a dish in Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine that took form in California cuisine, consisting of a flour tortilla wrapped into a sealed cylindrical shape around various ingredients. The tortilla is sometimes lightly grilled or steamed to soften it, make it more pliable, and allow it to adhere to itself. Burritos are often eaten by hand, as their tight wrapping keeps the ingredients together. Burritos can also be served "wet", i.e., covered in a savory and spicy sauce, when they would be eaten with a fork and knife.

Maggie Rita's Tex-Mex Grill & Bar is a Tex-Mex restaurant in Houston. For several years, Maggie Rita's was a restaurant chain with a license co-owned by Carlos Mencia and Santiago Moreno of Suave Restaurant. In January 2013, Moreno closed the last two locations they owned. Tony Shannard owns the only remaining Maggie Rita's restaurant, which is situated in Houston's JPMorgan Chase Tower.

Salsas Fresh Mex Grill

Salsa's Fresh Mex Grill is an Australian chain of fast-food restaurants. Salsa's Fresh Mex Grill serve a variety of Tex-Mex foods including tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, other specialty items, and a variety of "value menu" items.

La Salsa Chain of American fast-casual Tex-Mex restaurants

La Salsa is a chain of fast-casual Tex Mex restaurants founded in Los Angeles in 1979 and headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona and is owned by Canadian franchisor MTY Food Group. The chain emphasizes fresh ingredients, and each restaurant features a self-serve salsa bar.

Mexican-American cuisine

Mexican-American cuisine is the cuisine of Mexican Americans and their descendants, who have modified Mexican cuisine under the influence of American culture and immigration patterns of Mexicans to the United States.

Josef Centeno is an American chef, restaurateur and cookbook author who specializes in Tex-Mex cuisine. He was nominated for a James Beard award for Best Chef in February 2020.

BarBurrito Canada is a quick-serve Mexican chain that focuses on burritos. Founded in 2009 by Alex Shtein, it has grown from its original Toronto location to 150 franchises located in Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick. The affiliated American restaurant, Burritobar, is located in Howell, Michigan with plans to expand to more locations.

References

  1. ↑ "La Bamba West, Inc". Twitter.
  2. ↑ "Contact La Bamba West, Inc. - Champaign, IL | 217-355-2888". Archived from the original on 2015-04-23. Retrieved 2020-02-21.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Cooper, Ron (1996-11-18). "Burritos 'as big as your head' to replace Zetti's in Highlands". Louisville Business First . Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Opila, Sky (2006-09-25). "La Bamba owner safe and sound after being abducted at gunpoint". The Daily Illini . Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  5. ↑ "La Bamba's — Carbondale". The Southern Illinoisan . 2015-09-20. Retrieved 2019-03-28. The first thing most people think when they recall La Bamba's? The "burritos as big as your head," alluded to here in this clipping from May 31, 2004.
  6. ↑ Peskoe, Nick (2012-09-20). "La Bamba: Burritos As Big As Your Head". The Nick Peskoe Real Estate Group. Archived from the original on 2016-03-13. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  7. 1 2 3 Garr, Robin. "LouisvilleHotBytes Archived Review / La Bamba". LouisvilleHotBytes.com. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  8. ↑ "Best of Springfield 2009". Illinois Times . 2009-10-29. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  9. 1 2 "About - La Bamba Burritos | Mexican Restaurants". La Bamba Burritos | Mexican Restaurants. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  10. ↑ Lee, Dennis (October 2013). "Lunch in the Loop: Burritos as Big as Your Forearm at La Bamba | Chicago". Serious Eats . Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  11. 1 2 "La Bamba: Champaign, Il". Hennacornoeli Days. 2016-12-26. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
  12. 1 2 "La Bamba Franchise". The Franchise Mall.
  13. ↑ "Best Burrito: La Bamba". Columbus Alive . 2012-03-27. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  14. ↑ Navera, Tristan (2011-12-20). "La Bamba Burritos". Another Food Critic. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  15. ↑ Monaco, Rebecca (2017-02-08). "Uptown's hidden gem: La Bamba's sushi". Illinois State University Vidette Online. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  16. ↑ Mylander, Hank (2000-11-28). "Maybe not as big as your head: LaBamba's burritos big on taste". The Lantern . Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  17. ↑ "r/WTF - La Bamba's mexican restaurant has burritos as big as your head. This is the mural on their wall..." Reddit . Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  18. ↑ Engel, Carlyle (1997-02-27). "Big burritos poke heads into State College". The Daily Collegian . Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  19. ↑ "La Bamba Franchise Cost - La Bamba Franchise Opportunities". Franchise Help. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  20. ↑ Derby, Samara Kalk (2015-08-27). "Restaurant News: Local La Bamba locations dwindle". Wisconsin State Journal . Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  21. 1 2 Nash, James (2007-09-20). "'Free food' called illegal come-on". The Columbus Dispatch . Retrieved 2019-03-28.
  22. ↑ "Dann takes on Citi". The Lantern . 2007-09-20. Retrieved 2019-03-28.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.