El Paso Mexican Grill Opens in Glen Dale
Shelley Hanson Trending
The city of Glen Dale is home to a new restaurant -- El Paso Mexican Grill.
The eatery, which held a ribbon cutting with the Marshall County Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday, is located at the former Ruttenbucks building, also formerly home to Young's Cafeteria for many years.
El Paso manager Lupe Garcia said his family has another location at The Highlands in Ohio County. However, they have been looking to open in Marshall County for several years. Once the former Ruttenbucks building became available, they jumped at the chance to use the location, 1309 Wheeling Ave., Glen Dale.
Prior to opening Wednesday, much work was done inside to renovate and redecorate the property. Including new flooring, lighting, paint and more. The elaborate and colorful chandeliers in the large dining room are from Mexico as are the large-scale paintings and other decor. It all adds to the atmosphere of the new restaurant that employs about 10 family members to date.
"When we opened back in 2010 at The Highlands, I always drove through here ... and wanted to open in Marshall County," he said. "I think we're going to do good here."
Jose Garcia, who is Lupe Garcia's cousin and a co-manager, said the eatery is friendly and family oriented.
"We've been in business for a long time. We feel like a lot of people need good food that is fresh. So hopefully we do good and keep on going," Jose Garcia said.
"Come and visit us and try it," added Lupe Garcia.
Among the dignitaries attending the opening were Glen Dale Mayor Janet Scott.
"I think this is an amazing transformation. They've done a tremendous amount of beautiful work," Scott said. "It looks like a great place to eat, have a drink and enjoy yourself. We welcome them and I look forward to eating here frequently."
Scott Reager, director of the Marshall County Chamber of Commerce, said the chamber is excited to have another new business open in Marshall County.
"Anytime we can have another restaurant come into the valley, it's great. It's more choices for us in Marshall County and I think they will do really well," he said. "I'm glad that they're here and I hope more is coming."
Reager was also impressed with the new look of the dining room. The restaurant sits along W.Va. 2, which runs through the middle of Glen Dale and neighboring Moundsville, which has seen an influx of new businesses during the past few years. Those have included a Walmart, two new hotels and most recently an Aldi grocery store opened.
Reager said the amount of motorists traveling on W.Va. 2 every day is attractive to entrepreneurs and companies seeking new locations.
"Some are very interested in coming on W.Va. 2 in Glen Dale and Moundsville. The visibility and traffic flow is there," he said. "A lot of businesses are being attracted to the area and it's exciting. It's a domino effect. Once one business comes in or a new entity comes in, usually another one follows."
Reager said there is high traffic flow on W.Va. 2, which is attractive to businesses.
"You can look at our Walmart on any given day and it's packed. There's probably just as many people from Ohio that there is from West Virginia. ... It's good for the area."
Reager said the chamber often serves as a tool for those interested in opening a business in the county. It provides information regarding marketing and contacts with other potentially helpful businesses and organizations already in the area.
He added that traffic counts are the deciding factor for most new businesses on whether to come to Marshall County.
"It's based on traffic. Traffic is everything. A lot of businesses and restaurants, especially franchises, won't even come into the area unless there is enough traffic flow. That's why Route 2 is where everyone wants to be at - because of the traffic flow."