Ephraim restaurant moves into new building
Daniela Vazquez
Staff writer
9-15-2016
EPHRAIM—Malena and Jose Tinoco will hold the grand opening for their new Melena’s Café located on the south corner of 300 North and Main Street next Wednesday Sept. 21 beginning at 7 a.m.
The new building will be 3,000 square feet, including a private party room Malena called “the salon.”
The interior will be decorated in a traditional Mexican theme. A highlight of the decor will be a colorful hand painted mural depicting Mexican culture.
With a new establishment comes new furnishings that the couple hopes all of their customers will find comfortable.
“Everything in the restaurant will be new. We are only taking a couple of things (from the present restaurant) like our tables because they are already new,” Malena said. “We want our customers to experience Malena’s in a brand new state.”
Malena’s will employ 10 staff members, four more than their current six, in order to staff another addition—a drive thru.
Malena says she knows her customers are busy and can’t always wait in the long lines, which are typical during lunch and dinner rush hours.
Melana’s already has a extensive menu of traditional, authentic cuisine, but the Tinocos plan to introduce four new menu items to satisfy all customers’ taste buds.
When Messenger reporters asked for a sneak-peak into the new menu, Malena said she wasn’t ready to talk about the menu yet. Rather, she wants the public to go to the grand opening to discover it for themselves.
She did say each meal is made with fresh ingredients, prepared daily, such as the homemade flour tortillas staff member Paola Cano of Ephraim makes each morning.
When customers enter Malena’s Café, they can expect to taste the recipes of Malena’s 87-year-old mother, Lucy Ambriz of Serrano, Guanajuato, Mexico.
Business hours will remain the same. The restaurant will be open Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., with lunch served beginning at 10:30 a.m.
