LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The owner of Ramiro's Cantina said his decision to close the Frankfort Avenue staple is more of a move than a closure. By next month, he said, he'll open a new location in Jeffersonville, Indiana.
Ramiro Gandara said in the last three years, things have gotten a more difficult for the restaurant industry. He said it's bittersweet to close the Frankfort Avenue restaurant but believes now is the time to focus on catering events and his three food trucks.
"I thought I was going to keep this until my retirement 10 years from now," he said Wednesday. "But just COVID hit, and everything just changed. ... It's harder to pay your bills now."
Ramiro's Cantina posted on social media its plans to close on Dec. 30. The restaurant, known for home-cooked Mexican food and great service, has been in its current spot in Clifton for 15 years.
"We are truly thankful for our amazing customers and staff who supported Ramiro's," the post said. "Thank you to the community who embraced us so kindly and for the wonderful memories we created here."
Gandara said in trying to keep up with inflation, he's raised his menu prices but doesn't want to do that again.
"I'm not going to tell my customers to pay me more," he said. "It's not fair to them either."
Gandara said many customers have become friends, and several who used to eat at the restaurant multiple times each week are cutting back on their usual visits.
"I don't blame them," he said. "They have to pay their rent, gas, so we're making less money. So yes, I could've added another $2 on the items, but no, I'm done."
According to the Kentucky Restaurant Association, others are feeling the same pains. Stacy Roof, president and CEO of the association, said prices are higher on nearly everything, restaurant operators can't always count on supplies being delivered, and ongoing labor issues make the whole process less stable than it was pre-pandemic.
"It's not an easy business to be in," she said. "There's a lot that goes into having the guests enjoy that experience when they walk through the doors, and a lot of it is things that none of us see, right? It's all behind the scenes."
On top of the pandemic, supply chain issues and inflation, the restaurant industry in Kentucky has also been hit with devastating tornadoes in the west and catastrophic flooding in the east.
"We talked with restaurants we have in both of those areas that were forced to close or leveled or haven't recovered yet or haven't decided whether they're going to rebuild," Roof said.
Gandara was one of the first people who put his food trucks to work going to areas like Mayfield and Hazard multiple times to feed people.
Now, as he closes his Frankfort Avenue location, his focus will be on food trucks, catering, events and the smaller shop across the river, which he said will significantly cut bills like rent and electric.
"For us, it's the right decision," he said.
Instead of ordering from your table, customers at the new location at 149 Spring St. will walk in and order at the counter. It's still under construction, but Gandara hopes the restaurant will open within the next few weeks.
"We'll still be there for the community of Kentucky, absolutely. We're just changing our way of working," Gandara said. "It's the same Ramiro's. It's just smaller."
Gandara said a few of his employees from Ramiro's Cantina location on Frankfort Avenue are moving with him to the Jeffersonville restaurant. He said most of the other employees will remain at the building on Frankfort Avenue to work at a new restaurant that is moving in.
Gandara said a restaurant called The Yellow Cactus is moving into the Frankfort Avenue location soon.
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