Margaritas Mexican Restaurants Reinvigorates its Brand

Margaritas Mexican Restaurant in Portsmouth. (Judi Currie)

As restaurants struggle through staffing shortages, increasing food prices and the possibility of an economic downturn, one New England chain is redoubling its efforts to be a top competitor.

Margaritas Mexican Restaurants, a 35-year-old restaurant and bar with 25 locations through the Northeast, kicked off system-wide renovations with the completion of updates made to its Portsmouth location.

“We’ve been in Portsmouth for 30 years and have seen a lot of competition in the market, so it made sense to make the restaurant like new again and a little different than other brands,” says Bob Ray, COO of Margaritas. “We are still distinctly Margaritas, and ‘Mexico meets New England’ will always be our style, but we expect the refreshed look and feel will be welcomed by our employees, guests and the community.”

Margaritas re-engineered its business model to focus more on the high-profit dinner and late-night crowd, reduce labor and food costs and simplify operations, in part, by streamlining the menu and closing on Mondays.

Ray says as a mature company before COVID, there was a shift in outlook for the company coming out of the shutdown where they saw the reopening as a rebirth. “We looked at it as an opportunity to change the restaurants without losing who we are,” says Ray. “We are just letting our guests know that we are still here, we still care about this very much, we’re reinvesting in our spot in their world and the community and trying some fun stuff.”

Servers have handheld point-of-sale units that create efficiency and allow servers to be out among the tables more, says Ray. While renovations will vary by location, the Portsmouth Margaritas now has updated seating, flooring, walls, décor, bar top, lights and restrooms. Renovations have also been completed in Dover and Exeter, with Manchester, Salem and other locations scheduled over the next year.

“I don’t think anyone in hospitality has seen smooth sailing for the past two years,” says Ray. “As we head into the fall and winter, we don’t know what to expect. But we haven’t passed along every [increase] that has hit us. We are in this for the long haul and if things tighten up, we want people to choose us because we’ve delivered value and a great experience all along, without cutting corners.”

For more information, visit margs.com.