Former Auburn Chevys Fresh Mex readies for new life - as a Mexican restaurant

Empty since abruptly shutting its doors last fall, the former Chevys Fresh Mex restaurant building on Highway 49 in North Auburn is soon to become an El Tapatio restaurant. El Tapatio is an Oregon-based business with 38 locations in that state, Washington, California and Idaho. It's roots are in a small restaurant established by a Jalisco native in 1980 in Milwaukie, Ore., a city of 20,000 south of Portland. An El Tapatio has been open in Citrus Heights for the past seven years. A fixture in North Auburn for more than two decades, Chevys was suddenly shuttered the Monday after the Thanksgiving long weekend last year by owners Z Capital and Tennenbaum Capital partners, throwing about 40 people out of work without warning. The Chevy's owners had bought the 37-restaurant Chevy's Real Mex company after it filed for bankruptcy in mid-2018. The building has stood empty since the closure but a sign was recently placed below the Chevy's sign informing passersby that El Tapatio would be opening in the Spanish mission style building, located in the Auburn Village Shopping Center. Jorge Guitron, manager of the Citrus Heights El Tapatio, said the new eatery is targeted for opening between Dec. 10 and 15. For customers, the restaurant — which specializes in Jalisco-style menu offerings — will concentrate on providing a satisfying dining experience, from service and surroundings to cleanliness and a menu that features authentic fare, including customer favorites carne asada, fajitas and carnitas, Guitron said. Prospective employees can apply for a range of jobs, including cooks, bussers, bartenders and hostesses, Guitron said. El Tapatio isn't an unknown entity to some in the Auburn area, he said. "We already have customers from the Grass Valley and Auburn areas who enjoy the Citrus Heights restaurant," Guitron said.