Anvary also purchased two other branded restaurants in Columbia Heights and Roseville and converted them into La Casita restaurants. The Roseville location was remodeled in 2003.

“The original plan called for a renovation of the Waite Park facility,” says the project's architect, Norm Cole, of Cole Group Architects. “However, the plan was scrapped when we found that pipes were corroded and the walls were cracked. So, the existing building was torn down and a new one built from scratch. It would have been nearly impossible and very expensive to patch up what we found.”

A guest entering the Waite Park establishment steps into a foyer where an eight-foot-high fountain grounds the space covered by a 24-foot-high ceiling. Leaded stained-glass windows provide a rich display of color and shapes. “The space resembles a Mexican plaza,” Cole says.

This area merges with a spacious room that Anvary describes as “modern Southwest with Old World Spanish tastes.” As the interior designer, Anvary selects all materials, lighting and décor. His inspiration comes from frequent trips to various regions in Mexico. “The openness of the restaurant is unique,” he says. “Usually, you walk into a restaurant's lobby and then to the bar in the corner or the dining room on the side. Here, the bar is in the center of the space and the dining rooms sit on either side. Wherever you sit you have privacy but don't feel isolated.”

This spatial configuration also allows Anvary and the staff to seat individuals and large groups quickly upon their arrival. Service, too, is designed for efficiency. Each side of the bar contains an entrance to the back-of-the-house kitchen and has its own water and coffee stations.

The 48-foot bar, which features a granite top and oversized 39-inch by 39-inch four-tops and oversized 54-inch by 34-inch booth tables, is elevated three feet higher than the lounge. Wherever customers sit they can see into other parts of the restaurant.

A number of other design elements contributing to the warm, inviting atmosphere include antique wall finishes with faux paint, oversized partition walls, extensive archways leading from one space to another, a beamed wooden ceiling, a wall canvas painted by a local artist, Jim Lundberg, and Italian light fixtures. Stained concrete floors fill most of the ground surface, though some floor areas feature tiles. The outside of the restaurant includes stucco walls with brick showing through and stone walkways leading to flower-filled gardens in the front and side of the facility, which enhance the home-like ambiance that emphasizes a hospitality theme in Mexico: Nuestra casa es su casa, or our house is your house.

“We designed the restaurant to be warm, with a beautiful ambiance, but featuring high-quality Mexican food at reasonable prices,” Anvary says. “We want the restaurant to be accessible to many individuals and families with different incomes.” Like all restaurateurs, he is paying 5 percent to 10 percent more for food and deliveries than he was six months ago. “We haven't raised prices because of food increases, but we may have to make a change because Minnesota's minimum wage will soon increase.”

Maintaining a “reasonable” price structure is possible by continually seeking efficiencies in food purchasing and preparation, Anvary explains.

The $975,000 investment in kitchen equipment supports efficiency, as well as durability and cleanliness that become harder to maintain as a building ages, according to Daryl Winters, design/contract sales, Strategic Equipment Inc. “The prep line contained enough counter space so staff can easily prepare large quantities of food,” he says. “The prep and cooking lines are in one room, so staff can work the hot cookline, as well. There is enough space so staff never run into each other.

“In addition, Behrooz wanted high, 10-foot ceilings in the kitchen, so staff would feel good about their environment,” Winters continues. “Aisles are also wide — six-and-a-half feet — to allow comfortable movement. Behrooz emphasized that if the staff are happy, they will represent the enthusiasm to customers.”

When food and supplies arrive at La Casita, staff place them in a walk-in cooler or an attached freezer, and dry storage. A separate cooler for beer and alcohol holds two 40-gallon vats with agitators containing margaritas that are dispensed at the bar.

Across an aisle from a long cold prep table sits a blast chiller, which is large enough to hold a roll-in cart. “This piece of equipment is incredibly useful,” says Mike Price, general manager of the Columbia Heights and Roseville restaurants. “We use it to bring the temperature of food down quickly. We then take the cooled food into the walk-in cooler. It doesn't heat up the walk-in, which is very energy-efficient.”

Adjacent to the blast chiller, a stockpot stove heats containers holding shredded beef and carnitas. Next on the line, a combi oven-steamer prepares beans, rice, sauces and meats, as well as corn cakes. “We can do so much with this piece of equipment because it heats so quickly,” Price says. “We bring the items up to 165°F. before putting them on the line and hold at 140°F. on the line.”

A 30-gallon kettle assists chefs with preparing sauces and salsas. A tilting skillet braises chicken, ground beef and rice and heats sauces. A double basket fryer makes french fries and items for kids' meals, such as mini corn dogs and taco shells.

A large fryer that aligns with the prep table sizzles raw tortilla chips, which staff subsequently hold in a dump station. The range anchors the sauté station that staff use to make rancheros, heat soup and cook vegetables for fajitas. One of the largest pieces of equipment, a five-foot charbroiler, sears and cooks burgers, steaks, chicken breasts and meat items, in addition to tomatoes, chiles and peppers for salsa. A fajita pan holder sits at the end of the broiler.

An adjacent five-foot flat-top griddle prepares quesadillas, shrimp and vegetables. The grill's size accommodates 12-inch tortillas. A cheesemelter sits above to serve as a back-up for the double-deck conveyor oven that stands near the end of the line. Staff mainly use the oven for tamales, burritos, enchiladas, chile rellanos and chimichangas.

At the end of the line, another line fryer supports dessert preparation. In addition to the equipment mentioned, several undercounter refrigerators sit on the line so staff don't have to make trips to the walk-ins during production.

When the conveyor oven finishes the menu items, staff garnish and send the plates to the chef's line, which contains hot food wells. Staff then assemble all menu items for a guest's order and pass it along for delivery to customers in the dining room. “The kitchen has no heat lamps, so all hot plates must be passed to servers immediately after assembly,” says Todd Fritz, general manager at the Waite Park restaurant.

“Four or five cooks work this line, which moves from each end toward the center,” Price says. “On one side of the two-sided line, a staff member coordinates distribution of order tickets. We have only one person generating tickets, in comparison to many other restaurants, which often use two people. An expediter controls the dishes' movement and adds finishing touches. The configuration works well for us, because we can produce large volumes with minimal help. We find this is more efficient for us.”

For food disposal, staff use accumulators to break down starches before waste goes down the drain. “This piece of equipment is more expensive than a garbage disposal, but it frees the hands of a scraper and is sanitary-friendly for the drains,” Winters says.

When selecting mobile shelving to use in the facility, designers took into consideration the ease of keeping the units clean and sanitary. “Shelves can be run through the dishwasher,” Winters says. “In addition, the kitchen walls are stainless-steel so they can be easily washed each day.”

The equipment's efficiency doesn't come without trade-offs. “We need a greater understanding of maintenance and how to use the settings,” Price says. “We must train the entire staff in these areas.”

An ongoing challenge, Price says, is “to keep the concept fresh and up to our standards to attract customers who have many different choices of ethnic restaurants.” A more recent consideration facing the restaurant is how to continue to offer reasonably priced, high-quality food as food and delivery costs continue to rise.

Differentiation is no doubt the name of the game in today's highly competitive marketplace. The approach taken by the entire staff is to set high standards and implement every possible efficiency to avoid compromises. Selecting the right equipment and maintaining it at its peak operating capacity contribute significantly to La Casita's success.