Los Cocos Mexican Restaurant to open in Andover once corner is chosen; second chain is in the works

March 14, 20124:36 p.m.

WICHITA — Andover is going to be getting a Los Cocos Mexican Restaurant at Kellogg and Andover Road, but which corner is still a mystery.

“We don’t know which one will be the best one for us,” says partner Luis Alfaro.

He’s considering the southeast and the southwest corners.

“We hope we can start the construction this year,” Alfaro says.

The restaurant, which opened on the west side in 2007, also opened in Derby in May. The Andover Los Cocos will have the same design as the Derby location.

Alfaro would like to eventually have a fourth Wichita-area Los Cocos.

“I want to do one at a time – one a year,” he says.

Alfaro has other plans as well.

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By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , Filed under Andover, New business, Restaurants | Comments Off

Los Cocos Mexican Restaurant to open in Derby

May 24, 20101:45 p.m.

WICHITA — Less than three years after opening his first Los Cocos Mexican Restaurant, Luis Alfaro is preparing to start work on a third, this time in Derby.

“We just got the land,” Alfaro says of 1257 N. Rock, which is next to Applebee’s.

“It’s the first one that we’re going to build from scratch.”

Alfaro is planning a 180-seat restaurant with a 30-seat patio.

He had planned to open a Derby restaurant after opening in Wichita at 1335 N. Tyler in the former Brews Brothers and Mom’s space.

Instead, Alfaro says Manhattan was his next choice because of good opportunities there.

He hopes to have the Derby Los Cocos open by early November.

Alfaro is already scouting land on the east side for his fourth restaurant.

That could be in east Wichita or Andover.

His plan is to open a restaurant a year.

“We’ve just got to go one by one.”

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , , Filed under Derby, Restaurants | Comments

Charlie Badeen eyes the west side

April 29, 20098:45 a.m.

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Restaurateur and bar owner Charlie Badeen is looking for space on the west side for a new concept similar to his Mulligan’s Pub on the east side and O’Brien’s Irish Pub near Scotch & Sirloin.

“I think we’ll stay with the Irish theme,” Badeen says. “It seems to work.”

Badeen used to have a Mulligan’s, which is known for its pizza, on the west side at 1335 N. Tyler where Los Cocos Mexican Restaurant is today.

“It did really well,” he says.

Badeen closed only when someone — not anyone with Los Cocos — offered him twice what he had invested in the space.

Along with some of the fare he offers at Mulligan’s and O’Brien’s, Badeen says he’d like to add hamburgers, which he doesn’t offer at the other venues because he doesn’t have the right hoods for cooking them.

Badeen isn’t looking for a huge amount of space.

“Small bars work,” he says.

By Carrie Rengers | Tags: , , , , Filed under Restaurants | Comments