Pancheros Mexican Grill
Fancy some delicious Mexican eats in the heart of White Plains? Look no farther than Pancheros Mexican Grill, one of over 50 restaurants in a fast-growing national franchise that offers quick-serve Mexican fare.
The Mamaroneck Avenue restaurant, which opened Aug. 21, is owned by Mahendra Patel, an Indian native and Orange County resident.
The White Plains location is the first Pancheros franchise to open in New York State.
The restaurant chain is known for serving mouth-watering burritos, tacos, quesadillas and more. Its menu is based on the company’s signature fresh-pressed tortillas, which are filled with only the highest-quality ingredients.
Patel, who has more than 15 years of experience running other restaurants, was drawn to this business opportunity after experiencing the food at other Pancheros restaurants. “It’s all in the taste and in the freshness,” said Patel, who was intrigued by the idea of setting up a quick-serving eatery where every meal is made to order.
To get the property ready for its grand opening earlier this month, Patel gutted the space, creating a restaurant that’s truly bright and airy, from the warmly-colored walls, the hand-blown glass lights that hang from the ceiling and extend over every table, to the eclectic Mexican-style art that can be found throughout the eatery. The décor, added Patel, looks especially good at night.
To capture the true essence of a Pancheros burrito, the tortilla dough is first placed on a pressing machine that’s unique to the food chain. In a few seconds, the dough is transformed into a giant flour burrito that can be filled with the customer’s choice of marinated and/or grilled meats or vegetables, whole pinto or black beans, rice, cheese and a choice of four different salsas.
Once the ingredients of choice have been placed on the customized burrito, they are mixed together with “Bob the Tool,” a plastic spatula intended to get every ounce of ingredient into each bite, creating one delicious ready-to-go meal.
Only the freshest ingredients go into every item on the Pancheros menu. They include freshly cut, marinated grilled steak; slow roasted, seasoned pork; chili-ta marinated chicken; and season-marinated vegetables.
Under the watchful eye of manager Joseph Robinson, the staff of 18, in addition to three assistant managers, all dressed in crisp Pancheros uniforms, are ready to serve up delicious meals in a perfectly orchestrated manner.
For appetites that can’t handle the packed burritos, Pancheros offers a lighter version, known as the burrito bowl. That includes everything you’ll find in the freshly pressed burrito but without the tortilla.
Lettuce is always on hand to create a delicious salad, and Pancheros serves up its own delicious salad dressings as a complement. An especially good one is the cilantro lime vinaigrette, which is made from scratch each day, noted Robinson. Pancheros’ blue corn chips are another customer favorite, he said. A side of homemade chili con queso, mild ancho salsa or the restaurant’s freshly made guacamole makes for a great combination, Robinson added.
Traveling to a myriad of countries with his wife and two sons and tasting cuisine from all of them, Patel is excited about his role in the Pancheros brand and in the White Plains business community.
“At Pancheros, it’s all about the customer service, the cleanliness and the freshly-made food,” said Patel, who holds a graduate degree in engineering. “But it’s also about making sure the people who work for us are honest, reliable and good.”
To celebrate the company’s 20th anniversary, Pancheros restaurants across the country, including the one in White Plains, are offering burritos for a dollar. Stop by today, Aug. 28,from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., for this incredible special.
Pancheros is located at 38 Mamaroneck Avenue. It is open seven days a week, from10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. The restaurant will be adding a catering service in the near future. For more information, visit the company website at www.pancheros.com or call the White Plains location at 914-997-8520; fax: 914-997-8519.
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