By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — The owner of Chavez Mexican Restaurante has opened a new fast-casual dining option in downtown that promises the same quality of food at a quicker pace.
Tortilla Express, which is at the corner of State and Main streets under the Burnham Lofts, 202 W. State St., quietly opened its doors on Wednesday. The restaurant serves tacos, quesadillas, nachos and other fast-casual Mexican staples.
Nearly all the meat is processed at Chavez Mexican Restaurante, the casual restaurant’s big brother that opened at 5494 E. State St. in February.
“We are bringing the same quality as Chavez,” owner Jose Chavez said. “We have a high quality, only in a quicker way.”
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Chavez previously ran Fuego Nuevo Grill on Spring Creek Road, but after about 25 years in the restaurant industry he decided he wanted to own the space where he runs his business. He used a low-interest small business loan to buy the 6,800-square-foot former Tumbleweed on East State Street for the restaurant that carries his name.
Now, he runs a secondary location about 5 miles west down State Street in Tortilla Express.
“Downtown offices will benefit from Tortilla Express tremendously since they will have access to quick service and have an opportunity to enjoy sitting down on their lunch hour,” said Karen Hobbs, the founder and owner of KH Food Safety Consulting and Services. “It’s like having the best of both worlds — enjoy restaurant-style food with authentic recipes but have a convenience of a fast-food service.”
Chavez wasn’t initially planning to run two restaurants, but he had the opportunity presented to him after the initial person behind the business wasn’t able to bring it to fruition.
“I’m not a rich person, I started from scratch,” he said. “When this opportunity came, I said I really need to take it.”
Chavez took over and spent nearly a year remodeling the space and bringing it up to code so that it could open.
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“Whatever he says he follows through,” said Hobbs, whose business helps restaurant owners meet food safety requirements and provides other consulting. “I knew that he was going to accomplish his goals no matter what he chooses to do.”
The business will slowly ramp up service over the coming weeks before it’s operating at full capacity. Chavez hopes to obtain a liquor license soon and add bar service at Tortilla Express.
Chavez initially looked at Tortilla Express as an opportunity to run a restaurant while he remodeled the former Tumbleweed for his marquee restaurant on East State Street. However, because of the extensive fixes needed at Tortilla Express it turned out the bigger restaurant opened first.
“I never expected things to end up this way, but I’m blessed and I’m happy,” he said.
This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas