VILLAGE OF EAST SYRACUSE – Entering the month of September on an optimistic note, the owners of Mi Rancho Mexican Restaurant held a ribbon cutting for their eatery’s grand opening last Thursday.
The restaurant is located at 6677 Manlius Center Road in East Syracuse between the Tractor Supply store and the DeWitt Home Design Center.
“We hope to be here for years to come,” said Enio Agüero, who runs Mi Rancho with his wife, Mirna. “For that, our goal is to make an impact and make it a fun place and a family place.”
In response to someone who informed the Kirkville couple that the business was the seventh to occupy that space in their recent memory, Enio said he told them that seven is a lucky number.
The Mi Rancho menu includes burritos, carnitas, fajitas, nachos and hot tamales among other meals.
Enio said that although he and his wife are not the first to bring Mexican cuisine to the village, they are excited to introduce their own uniquely flavored dishes to that side of town.
“We don’t see it as a competition with anybody else,” he said. “It’s just another way to provide a good place to eat.”
Mirna said it had been stressful and time-consuming to ready the restaurant but worthwhile.
Calling the opportunity to open “a dream come true” regardless of the hard work that comes with it, Enio said he wants the business to generate connections with new friends who can share in its anticipated success.
The couple expressed gratitude at the Sept. 1 grand opening for the divine influence in their lives and the people who encouraged their idea to start a restaurant, even if was just the simple wish of “good luck.”
“Whatever God gives us, we have to be responsible for,” said Enio, a chaplain with the Air National Guard sector based in Rome, New York. “If we stay by God’s side, we will succeed.”
At the event, Enio led those gathered in a dedicatory prayer spoken in both English and Spanish. He asked for the restaurant to prosper and become a place of gathering for the community.
“As we say in Spanish, mi casa es su casa—my house is your house,” he said to the attendees before inviting them back inside. “Make it your house.”
On behalf of the East Syracuse Village Board, Mayor Lorene Dadey handed a written-out welcome message to the Agüeros during the ceremony.
“We are very grateful and thankful that you have come here,” Dadey said. “You have a beautiful place.”
For now, Mi Rancho Mexican Restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day of the week, but that schedule may be adjusted as needed, Enio said.
