HEART OF STEELE

If you can judge a restaurant by its first-month popularity, Gilberto’s on South Oak in Owatonna should do well.

My daughter and I–both big fans of Mexican cuisine–checked out the new 24-hour taco shop over the weekend. Almost every seat was taken, and a steady line of customers carried boxes and bags away from the counter and drive-thru window.

While I’m nobody’s food critic, I finished all but a tiny bite of my juicy and flavorful shredded beef tacos. Daughter thoroughly enjoyed her cheesy deep-fried burrito and took fully half of it home.

We’ll have more dining options open this year in Owatonna, and I am excited for them all:

Scooter’s drive-thru coffee shop with fresh baked goods, Roma’s Italian Eatery downtown, a Jersey Mike’s sub shop, and Smokin’ Silverback BBQ restaurant on Cedar.

Places like Scooter’s and Jersey Mike’s and Gilberto’s offer quick meal alternatives for busy families, but also employment opportunities. Gilberto’s has already put out a call for cashiers on its Facebook page.

But the sit-down restaurants can create more than jobs–as I learned while writing about the former Jerry’s Supper Club, where Roma’s will be located. When people shared their memories, they talked about the “Cheers” of Owatonna, where everybody knew your name.

It’s one thing to keep the doors of a business open for decades, quite another to become an integral part of people’s lives.

May these new establishments all find that level of success and make their own mark on the heart of our community.