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GLEN ELLYN – A highly anticipated Mexican restaurant is opening Tuesday in Glen Ellyn.
a toda madre will have its grand opening next week after relocating from Geneva.
Co-owner Rodrigo Cano said the original restaurant opened three years ago under the Bien Trucha franchise.
At the time, it was one of two franchise restaurants next door to each other, and Cano said it sometimes seemed like they were competing against themselves.
"We were confusing some of our own customers," he said.
They made the decision to consolidate the Geneva locations into a single restaurant named Bien Trucha and move a toda madre to a new storefront. The two eateries will offer the same food and be part of the same operation.
The group had been waiting to move into a development in Naperville, and got invited to a site in Glen Ellyn at 499 Main St., the home of the former Honey Cafe.
"We were just ready to open a new place and the opportunity opened up," Cano said.
They loved the location and said it would work well for the idea they had in mind. Cano said he's not concerned about losing customers in the move.
"It is far away, but also close enough that a lot of customers that come here are from this area," he said. "We do have a lot of great followers in this area,"
The restaurant will have a soft opening Friday and Saturday for family and friends to iron out the details and get everything working well.
Cano said that for about the first month, the restaurant will be serving people on a first-come, first-serve basis. They hope to build up the pace in the kitchen and bar to improve service and open the back room before taking reservations.
He said they are excited about opening.
"We went through a few hiccups, but we were expecting that," Cano said. "Overall, it was an easy, smooth ride."
Downtown Alliance of Glen Ellyn Executive Director Carol White said the restaurant coming to the village is "huge," and that having another place downtown where people can have lunch is a big plus.
"To have a restaurant with that reputation opening in downtown for lunch and dinner will be great for the community," she said.
a toda madre will feature an eclectic menu with dishes and flavors from various regions of Mexico, including a taco line-up, raw oyster bar, catch of the day and specials.
"a toda madre" translates to "all about your mother" and is also a Mexican slang for "totally awesome."
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If you go
What: a toda madre grand opening
When: Tuesday
Where: 499 Main St.
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Restaurant hours
a toda madre will serve lunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and from noon to 3 p.m. Saturday. Dinner will be served from 5 to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.