Biz Buzz: New Fiesta Cancun Mexican grill offers non-traditional 'big city' menu - East Idaho News
Biz Buzz

Biz Buzz: New Fiesta Cancun Mexican grill offers non-traditional ‘big city’ menu

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Do you want to know what’s happening on the east Idaho business scene? We’ve got you covered.

Here is a rundown of this week’s business news across the valley.

BIZ BRIEF

IDAHO FALLS

Fiesta Cancun Mexican Grill is not your traditional Mexican restaurant, owner says

fiesta cancun
Courtesy photo

IDAHO FALLS – Ricco Lanuaze and his business partner, Eddie Ruesga, opened the Fiesta Cancun Mexican Grill in September without fanfare, but it’s been a wild ride ever since.

When they turned on the sign on the old Taco Bandido building on Sept. 20, Lanuaze tells EastIdahoNews.com they were planning to open quietly, but people came in droves and they’ve been slammed every day since.

“We’ve been blessed to be so busy,” says Lanuaze. “Last Saturday at 5 p.m. I had to shut the doors because we ran out of food.”

The goal of Fiesta Cancun Mexican Grill, Lanuaze says, is to give customers an authentic Mexican experience. Each dish is served with authentic Mexican ingredients and spices without traditional items you would find in other Mexican restaurants in town.

“In Mexico, when you go to tiny little towns, people are making tortillas by hand and they have tamales, pozole and tortas. That’s traditional Mexican food. We don’t have any of that. My food is authentic, but it’s what I call a big-city menu,” Lanuaze says.

The menu at Fiesta Cancun includes items like ribeye steak and grilled chicken as well as enchiladas, burritos and fajitas.

“We have a large menu, but we’re currently working with a third of it (because only select companies carry our ingredients),” Lanuaze says. “We picked the items we felt would be the most popular, items not every place has here. Once we get everything figured out, we’ll be launching our full menu.”

The average price of a menu item is around $10.

But the food isn’t the only thing that’s authentic. When customers walk in to Fiesta Cancun, Lanuaze says he wants them to feel like they’re no longer in Idaho Falls.

“The girls wear something that looks like they’re working at the beach,” Lanuaze said. “The salsa music is loud, and the dishes are served in pineapples. We thought opening a place with a beach theme would provide a home away from home, and I think we nailed it.”

Lanuaze says they are planning an official grand opening soon and are looking to open a second location in Ammon as well.

Fiesta Cancun Mexican Grill is located at 115 S. Higbee Ave. Its hours of operation are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with a 10 p.m. closing time Fridays and Saturdays.

It offers daily lunch specials for $6.99 and also caters for business or private parties. To learn more, call (208) 522-5252 or visit the restaurant on Facebook.



BIZ BITS

Chubbuck’s annual Christmas decorating contest

CHUBBUCK – Make your Christmas bright and spread the cheer. It’s time for the annual outdoor Christmas decorating contest in Chubbuck. The contest is open to all residential homes and businesses within the Chubbuck city Limits. Judging will be held Dec. 6 through 9. On the nights of judging, please turn all your holiday lights on by 6 p.m. and leave them on until 11 p.m. Winners will be announced no later than Dec. 11.

Popular clothing store in downtown I.F. moving to new location

IDAHO FALLS – Shopping at Ferrell’s Clothing in downtown Idaho Falls has been a 68-year tradition. It’s become a staple for many young men and women preparing to serve missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The company recently announced it’s under new ownership, and in a Facebook live video Wednesday, it announced it would be moving to the corner of Sunnyside and 25th East next to Kiwi Loco. More details are forthcoming. EastIdahoNews.com will post a story soon.

Rigby gearing up for Festival of Trees

RIGBY – The 2018 Rigby City Library Festival of Trees is just two weeks away. It’s happening Tuesday, Nov. 27, through Saturday, Dec. 1. If you’d like to enter a decorated tree or wreath in the festival or provide raffle items, props or services, contact the Rigby City Library at (208) 745-8231.

This local business is hosting a food drive for needy families, and they’re asking for your help

REXBURG – Rexburg Motorsports is looking to give back to families in need in their community with its Stuff the Side-by-Side Food Drive. The event runs from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17, outside Broulim’s in Rexburg. To support the Eastern Idaho Community Action Partnership (EICAP) Rexburg Outreach Office, Rexburg Motorsports is looking for donations of new and unopened food and household items to stuff a Honda Pioneer Side x Side with a half ton of food. To donate, simply stop by the Broulim’s in Rexburg between 2 and 4 p.m. and place your donations in the side-by-side parked outside the store. For further questions, call (208) 356-4000.

BIZ BUGS

HOLIDAY ROMANCE SCAMS

The holidays are right around the corner, and for many families in Eastern Idaho, it’s a happy time to spend with loved ones. But if you’re single, it can be quite lonely.

Recently, a lonely southern Idaho woman connected with someone on social media hoping to have a romantic time with a man that would sweep her off her feet. What started out as a romantic experience, however, turned into a scam that left her $9,000 in debt.

Social media is a popular way for single people to meet up, but if you’re in this situation, you could become the next victim.

The Better Business Bureau offers the following tips for daters to avoid being caught in a romance scam:

  • Protect your identity and your wallet. Scammers prefer prepaid cards and money transfers. Never send money or any personal information to someone you’ve never met in person. Visiting with someone via a video call doesn’t mean they’re not a scammer.
  • Think before going from public to private. Be hesitant if the conversation moves from a monitored site like social media or a dating site to a more private form of communication like email or instant messaging. This strategy might be a way for the scammer to draw you in without other people interfering.
  • Do your research. Pore over the profile image and description. If it sounds too good to be true, verify it. You can perform a reverse image search to see if the profile photo has been used on other websites. You can also copy a portion of their biography and search to see if it’s been used on other sites. Scammers often use the same profile details and photos on multiple sites.
  • Ask for details and get specific. Request other forms of identification, like a photo of them holding a piece of paper with their username on it. Ask specific questions about details in their profile. If they claim to be a military member, ask for their official military address, as those all end in @mail.mil. Scammers likely will make excuses for why they can’t provide you more information.
  • Pay attention to communication. Be wary of bad grammar and misspelled words. No one is perfect, but if mistakes often are repeated, it may suggest they aren’t from where they claim. Be on guard for use of pet names or discussions of marriage early in correspondence.
  • Report it. If you feel like you’ve been victimized, report it to BBB’s ScamTracker, the Federal Trade Commission and FBI.

If you’ve been the victim of a scam, help others avoid being scammed by filing a report at BBB.org/ScamTracker.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…

The local firefighter behind the new Firehouse Subs coming to Idaho Falls

New vendor taking over restaurant at Idaho Falls Airport in December

Eastern Idaho kicks off holiday season Monday at Festival of Trees

World Gym in Ammon, Rexburg changes its name, new location announced in Idaho Falls

If you have a Biz Buzz item you want to share, send it to rett.nelson@eastidahonews.com. Remember to use “Biz Buzz” in the subject line. Also, don’t forget to sign up for the free Biz Buzz email newsletter.

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