A new restaurant will soon bring a fresh flavor to Highway 12 in Starkville.
No Way Jose - a Tex-Mex family restaurant - will open on Thursday, March 16, across Highway 12 from Vowell’s.
The restaurant, which has locations in Cleveland, Greenwood, Grenada, and Houston, is family owned and operated. The business space was previously occupied by Chili’s, which closed in July 2016.
Owner Julio Martinez is one of four brothers that own and operate the five No Way Jose franchises throughout the state. Remodeling efforts have been underway since Martinez closed on the location in November 2016.
“It took a little while, because we had to gut the whole kitchen and put a sprinkler system in,” he said. “We updated everything. It doesn’t even look like a Chili’s. It’s been totally remolded.”
No Way Jose will employ roughly 25 people, Martinez said.
He said the new establishment will serve authentic Mexican cuisine, along with a wide range of other culinary offerings and drink specials.
“We will have Southern food, a little Italian pasta, seafood, and scallops,” he said. “We have a little bit of everything. Plus we have an open bar with 90 to 130 different mixed drinks. It’s very diverse.”
Martinez said the grand opening on Thursday will be a half-day compared to their regular business hours, just to give employees and management a feel for the workflow.
A ribbon-cutting event is planned for 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., and the restaurant will be open to the public after.
“People think we are just another Mexican restaurant,” Martinez said. “I think people will be really impressed. People can come eat with the family … we have several TVs playing all the Bulldog games and it will be a cool experience for everyone.”
Martinez said next week will see the store move to regular business hours, operating seven days a week starting Monday.
“The reason we opened on a half day is it is a ritual,” he said. “From Monday on it will be regular operating but on the grand opening we like to start in the afternoons to get our feet wet.”