Businesses on 38th Avenue are no strangers to the impact on traffic flow from the Wadsworth construction, but when you throw in the current climate of economic hardship for restaurants, it’s hard not to wonder how they are surviving. We checked in with Mercedes Mexican restaurant as recently opened for the first time in over a year.
After closing the doors Fourth of July weekend last year, owner Richard Diaz reopened them August of this year. Business was slow and taking a step back was necessary for survival. Diaz attributed business slowing to the Wadsworth construction as less traffic goes down 38th avenue either for cut-throughs or final destinations. So how could Diaz manage to keep a restaurant that was closed for a year?
With experience in finance, additional locations and a drive to move forward, Diaz had the perfect recipe to bring success to Mercedes once again.
A Pueblo native, Diaz began his first job cooking at the age of 14 and continued for four years until he went to college. Many years later, after a successful career in finance and lending, Diaz turned to help out a friend who owned a restaurant. In fact, it became his second job.
No longer wanting to run the business, eventually his friend offered to sell Diaz the restaurant and former bar. In 1993, Diaz bought Mercedes from the original owners – keeping the same name which was named after the wife of his friend.
Fast forward to today and the business has been fortunate enough to have had multiple locations. Northglenn is home to the other Mercedes location, and its popularity is what helped keep the business afloat while the doors in Wheat Ridge remained closed. There was a third location at 78th and Pecos. However, having the lease bought out from QuikTrip also helped make it financially viable for the company to continue.
Now that the Wheat Ridge location is open and ready for Mercedes 2.0, Diaz has been hard at work remodeling the inside to bring a more modern appeal. In addition, he plans to revamp the menu in hopes to bring in both the new, local demographic as well as their beloved original customer base who returned with smiles. Diaz hopes to expand beyond the quick-grab breakfast burritos and original breakfast menu by adding a morning coffee and breakfast bar turn taco menu and bar in the afternoons and evenings.
Diaz understands that ambiance must change in order to run parallel to modern trends. A handy-man at heart, Diaz has repainted, remodeled and repaired the inside of the shop. It is a work in progress, but his tenacity and dedication is felt in the equipment he repairs, the black, glistening counter tops, the stylish décor, the amazing food, and the loyal people.
With four dollar fresh-and-ready burritos, he also appreciates the need for that simple, original mom-and-pop feel that customers crave more than ever right now. As it really shapes up to bring its classic tasty Mexican favorites to meet new age dining and third space kind of feel, Mercedes Mexican restaurant may find itself becoming the perfect blend of old meets new. Between the new black counters and a Dia de los Muertos vibe, it brings an eclectic glow that feels hip but not common.
That mix of tradition and innovation may be what keeps Mercedes standing strong. Diaz understands that while customers enjoy fresh twists, they also crave consistency and authenticity.
While the breakfast burrito trend continues to grow, Mercedes Mexican Restaurant has been in the game since the 90’s. You could say they are practically an OG of the convenient, palatable, booming fad. The persistence of owner Richard Diaz and all of the familiar faces that continue to trickle in (even a year after being closed) are proof that good people and a good product go a long way.
At the heart of it all is Diaz’s determination. For him, reopening wasn’t about chasing profits or expanding an empire. It was about preserving something meaningful. “The business and going forward meant more to me than money,” he said simply. That kind of passion can’t be manufactured — and it shows in the way customers respond.
The road ahead won’t be easy. Construction still looms, and competition in the restaurant world is fierce. But with a refreshed space, a loyal following, and Diaz’s persistence, Mercedes Mexican Restaurant is poised to once again become a hub on 38th Avenue.
The official ribbon cutting for the new chapter of Mercedes took place on September 26th, marking not just the reopening of a restaurant, but the resilience of a local business determined to keep serving its community. As Wheat Ridge continues to grow and change, Diaz hopes Mercedes will continue to be both a familiar comfort and a fresh destination.
