El Caporal moves up the street into former Frisch’s location in Liberty Twp.

Owner confident customers will continue to support Mexican restaurant on Yankee Road
El Caporal Mexican Bar & Grill is opening Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022 in the former Frisch's location on Yankee Road in Liberty Township. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

El Caporal Mexican Bar & Grill is opening Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022 in the former Frisch's location on Yankee Road in Liberty Township. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

A popular Mexican chain is remodeling one Butler County location and opening in a former Frisch’s Big Boy.

El Caporal, which has restaurants in Mason and Liberty Twp., is opening today at 7075 Yankee Road where Frisch’s was located until it closed two years ago, said Pedro Meza, the owner.

The El Caporal, located at 7206 Towne Centre Drive in Liberty Twp., is being remodeled and may reopen with a new menu, according to Meza.

In 2020, Frisch’s officials said the permanent closures in Ohio and Kentucky, including one in Butler County, were due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 5,000-square-foot Yankee Road Frisch’s opened in August 2012.

Meza said workers have been busy cleaning up the Yankee Road location and turning the American hamburger decor into a Mexican atmosphere. For instance, the salad bar, a staple at Frisch’s, has been converted into a margarita bar, he said.

He isn’t apprehensive about opening in a building where another restaurant failed. He believes customers who have supported El Caporal on Towne Centre and in Mason will remain loyal.

“We believe in what we are doing,” he told the Journal-News. “We have been in the restaurant business for 25 years and we have done very well so far. We will keep growing.”

There are some hurdles in the restaurant industry associated with COVID-19, he said. Recruiting employees is challenging and raising menu prices and upsetting customers due to inflated food costs is difficult, he said.

Be he said: “We have a great menu, good margaritas and friendly staff. People will come.”

He was asked about the increasing number of Mexican restaurants opening throughout the region. Hector’s Taco Shop opened last week in downtown Middletown and there are numerous Mexican restaurants in Liberty Twp.

There was a time, he said, when hamburgers and hot dogs were the top two sellers in the restaurant industry in the U.S. They have been replaced by tacos, he said.

Besides tacos, the El Caporal menu includes burritos, enchiladas, nachos, quesadillas and alcoholic beverages.


HOW TO GO

WHAT: El Caporal restaurant

WHERE: 7075 Yankee Road, Liberty Twp.

HOURS: 11 a.m. to 10 pm. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday.

PHONE NUMBER: 513-755-3520

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