It’s big and boisterous, filled with stylish touches, a party atmosphere and lots of smiling people inquiring about food quality and half-empty glasses.
Welcome to Jorge’s Cantina, 4225 Franklin Ave., a Citrano family production that welcomed 10,281 guests during its inaugural week ending Thursday.
But who’s counting, joked partner Kyle Citrano. His Apple wristwatch recorded 15,000 or more steps during working hours each day he and nearly 290 staffers welcomed the masses, though not all at one time. Diners paid $25 to $27 per check, on average, and Citrano said feedback in person and online suggests Jorge’s Cantina made a good first impression.
The restaurant mixes old and new, traditional Tex-Mex with spicy nuance. It sports a tequila lounge, high-top booths, artwork, a decor replete with reds, greens and blues, chandeliers, and music “loud enough to create a rhythm for the restaurant,” said Citrano. Mixing, matching and experimenting filled several months, attention given to everything from imprints on the ceiling tile, to interior plants to candles in the bathrooms.
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A soft opening brought 2,300 invited guests to Jorge’s, a time for wait staff to practice what their bosses and colleagues had preached. The mood was festive. Conversation flowed.
On Thursday, June 27, the good times really began to roll.
“I told my staff this is the fun part,” Citrano said. “After three weeks of training, you get to apply the lessons you’ve learned, to show confidence in the menu, to check on customers.
“Nothing is better than making people smile, filling their belly. I had 100 text messages waiting on me after the first day. That was heartwarming. Preparing to open has taken a lot of time, a lot of time away from the family. But when you step away and see the text messages and Facebook posts from people driven to say something nice but didn’t have to do it. ... We are thankful that people recognize our vision for what we want Jorge’s to be and the amount of love and support we received through social media, news media and good old fashioned word of mouth.”
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Jorge's has seen a booming business in the past week.
Sammy Citrano, who owns stakes in George’s Restaurant on Speight Avenue and Hewitt Drive, said he went into this project knowing one thing for sure: Any Tex-Mex or authentic Mexican restaurant, or any derivative thereof, must offer good chips and salsa, beef enchiladas and margaritas. Anything beyond those three staples is gravy, so to speak, and Jorge’s has applied a heaping helping of seafood entrees, desserts, and specialty dishes concocted with guidance from trusted experts in the restaurant industry.
Chicken-fried steak and pork chops also have a place at Jorge’s.
Emerging as most popular options to this point are the triple dip boards, poblano and lump crab dip, al carbon steak and chicken fajitas, El George and El Jorge margaritas, barbacoa brisket enchiladas with mole, Del Mar seafood enchiladas and cuatro leches with churros, said Kyle Citrano.
Waco diners have their favorites, said Sammy Citrano, who knows locals traditionally flood new restaurants during the grand opening phase, checking out the new scene in town before drifting back to standbys.
“We just want to become part of the rotation,” said Citrano, dismissing the notion Jorge’s will send other Tex-Mex establishments packing.
Mary Lou Castillo, part of the family that owns Casa de Castillo family, said Jorge’s expands Waco’s restaurant offerings.
“It’s a great thing,” she said. “We’re Tex-Mex. They’re offering a whole new branch of Mexican. I’ve heard great things. I’m glad for Sammy and glad for Waco.”
She has not visited Jorge’s as she works seven days a week, and doesn’t have the time.
Her business is “phenomenal,” adding, “We’re working on 102 years.”
Jorge’s Cantina will open Sundays, which for the Citranos is a departure from policy at both George’s locations. The Citranos, whose ownership and management team includes Kevin Chirafis, Chris Cady and Sean McGuire, said market and economic conditions prompted the decision.
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Jorge’s has opened in the former El Paso Mexican Grill location at 4225 Franklin Ave.
George’s opens early to serve breakfast, and doors do not close until midnight. It offers takeout service and catering. With so much packed into a day’s work, said the Citranos, employees need and get Sundays off. Jorge’s is not a breakfast place, and for now will not fill to-go orders.
Jorge’s does take reservations, and will continue to do so indefinitely. The approach will streamline operations, say the Citranos, reduce or eliminate wait times, and allow patrons to enjoy all Jorge’s offerings.
But the process became a “little tricky” at first, said Kyle Citrano, catching some would-be diners unaware then “perplexed” upon learning the facts.
“Reservations have helped us plan accordingly for guest count, pace our kitchen and give our staff a chance to gain confidence and our customers to hopefully leave with a wonderful experience rather than one filled with long wait times, errors and bad memories,” said Citrano of the approach.
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The Citrano family, veterans of the Waco restaurant scene, are partners in Jorge's.
The Citranos reworked the former El Paso Mexican Grill building, which Sammy Citrano owned, into what they described as a dream come true. They did not simply want another Tex-Mex restaurant. They wanted something special, that would create a buzz. Corners would not be cut, said Kyle Citrano, “because people notice those things.” Employees would produce flour and corn tortillas on-site. A debate over green salsa versus red salsa resulted in a draw, and a compromise to place both on the table with chips.
Jorge’s occupies 11,700 square feet, making it larger than the 9,000-square-foot George’s locations, each about a 10-minute drive away. Remodeling lasted about 10 months, though preliminary work began longer ago.
The Citranos now employ more than 500 people between their three locations.
“We employ young, old and in-between, from 18 years old to those in their 60s and 70s,” Kyle Citrano said. “Having another restaurant means growth in our own management team, creates a growth path for becoming a manager. It also means exposing ourselves to all of Waco, to different people. The next opportunity may come from someone they waited on or greeted at the bar.”