Abuelo’s

To understand the story of Abuelo’s, one of the more upscale Mexican restaurants in our country, you first need to go to back to China where the very young founder, James Young fled to Taiwan with his Chinese parents to escape the civil unrest of communism and civil war that plagued China at the time. With luck and intelligence on his side, Young was one of the few that had the chance to go to college where he received his degree in electrical engineering. As required by the Taiwanese government, Young then served two years of military service before being accepted into the master’s program at Texas Tech.  In 1974, Young left the East for a better life in the U.S. His girlfriend, who would later become his wife, in Taiwan followed the same desperation to seek a better life for herself and also arrived at Texas Tech while Young finished his military duty.  While in the master’s program, Young began to see his friends get employment completing their education only to get laid off later with their employers. Young felt a different road would be better for him and his family and after working at McDonald’s for a while and learning about the restaurant industry, he did what so many successful entrepreneurs are willing to do, and that was to take a significant risk. On 34th Street in Lubbock, Texas Young purchased a taco stand that had gone out of business. He loved being able to serve others in the restaurant industry and so Young quit his higher education at Texas Tech to focus on his next venture opening up a restaurant location in Lubbock to serve the Chinese food his mom taught him growing up. He was doing so well; he began opening new locations of his Chinese restaurants which led Young to Amarillo, Texas. It was in Amarillo that Young ended up with two restaurants close enough to each other that one might hinder the other. At the suggestion of a friend, Young turned one of the locations to a Mexican restaurant calling it Abuelo’s. The restaurant did so well that Young decided to pivot his business focusing solely on Abuelo’s and walking away from the Chinese cuisine he knew so well. He held on to the Chinese restaurants he had established until 1996 when he sold them to focus only on Abuelo’s. The menu may have changed when Young began serving Mexican, but he never forgot where he came from hiring lots of refugees in the ’70s and ’80s both employing them and helping their families. This developed a lot of loyal employees that were a large part of the foundation that makes Abuelo’s Mexican Restaurant what it is today.

General Restaurant Information

Food Type: Mexican

Restaurant Type: Casual Dining

U.S. Locations: 39

States: 13 states, Abuelo’s Locations

Company Slogan: No resources found

 

Contact Information

Website: abuelos.com

Questions: Contact Information

Phone number: (806) 785-8686

Email: Contact Form Only

Blog: No

FAQ Page: No

 

Ownership

Who Owns Abuelo’s? Food Concepts International

Headquartered: Lubbock, TX

Contact Information: 

Website: abuelos.com (the site used for FCI)

Email/contact page: Food Concepts International 

Phone: (806) 785-8686

Address: 4413 82nd St, Lubbock, TX 79424

Do They Franchise? No resources found

 

What Is It Like To Work At Abuelo’s Mexican Restaurant?

Abuelo’s Employment Page

3.9/5 or 78%; 144 Reviews (indeed.com)

3.5/5, or 70%; 98 Reviews (glassdoor.com)

 

 

The History of Abuelo’s

Original Location: 3501 SW 45th Ave, Amarillo, Texas 

Founded: July 1,  1989

Founded By: James Young

Biography Articles:

Abuelo’s owner James Young, and his secret to success (lubbockonline.com)

Founder and owner of Abuelo’s restaurants (depts.ttu.edu)

Founder Obituary: Still Living

Name Origin: Named for James Young’s grandfather. Abuelo’s is Spanish for grandfather.

Abuelo’s Mexican RestaurantHistory Page: Abuelo’s History Page

Current View of Original Location: 3501 SW 45th Ave as it is today (link may not work on mobile devices without Google Maps)

Historical Articles: 

Our Story (abuelos.com)

Locally-owned Abuelo’s Mexican restaurant celebrates 25 years (lubbockonline.com)

Founder and owner of Abuelo’s restaurants (depts.ttu.edu)

 

Social Awareness

Charity Focus: Community 

Green | Eco-Friendly: No resources found

Animal Cruelty: No resources found

 

Discounts At Abuelo’s

Listed below are the resources that were available at the time of this posting. For a better understanding of how restaurant discounts work and why they can be so inconsistent; check out In the world of restaurant discounts: What you need to know.

Rewards Program: Abuelo’s Reward Program

Please use this link to find Abuelo’s’s locations so that you can call your local store to inquire. 

Do Kids Eat Free at Abuelo’s?

What day do kids eat free? N/A

Summary: At this time Abuelo’s does not offer a kids eat free promotion.

Here are a few great Kids Eat Free resources for you to bookmark –

Happy Money Saver: Kids Eat Free List (sorted alpha)

 

Passionate Penny Pincher: Restaurants Where Kids Eat Free (sorted by day of the week)

 

Penny Pinchin’ Mom: Kids Eat Free List (sorted by day of the week)

 

Money Saving Mom: Kids Eat Free, The Master List (sorted alpha)

 

Does Abuelo’s Mexican Restaurant Offer Military Discounts?

Summary: Abuelo’s has a Veteran’s Day page on their site where you can read their current promotions being offered as it relates to Veteran’s Day.

Here are a few great Military Discounts for you to bookmark –

These 20 restaurants have the best military discounts (milspousefest.com)

 

Veteran’s Day Free Meals and Restaurant Deals and Discounts (military.com)

 

Military Discounts Offered By Stores, Services and Online Sites (militarybenefits.info)

 

Veteran and Military Deals & Discounts (militaryconnection.com)

 

Veteran’s Day Free Meals & Discounts – Over 100 Free Meals (themilitarywallet.com)

 

What Does Abuelo’s offer for My Birthday!?

Summary: The following resources were found from external sources – 

“Receive a free dessert when you join their eClub” (urbantastebud.com)

“Free Sopapillas” (hustlermoneyblog.com)

“Join their Rewards Club for special offers on your birthday and anniversary.” (bradsdeals.com)

Below are a couple of sites that will help you enjoy your next birthday!

100+ Instant Free Restaurant Meals – Just Sign Up! (birthdaycandle.com)

 

Restaurant Birthday Freebies (heyitsfree.net)

 

101+ Restaurants with Free Food on Your Birthday (wallethacks.com)

 

Does Abuelo’s Offer First Responder Discounts?

Summary: No references found.

There aren’t many out there, but here are a few great First Responder Discounts for you to bookmark –

Restaurant & Food Discounts for Law Enforcement, Firefighters, EMS, EMTs & First Responders (badgeddiscounts.com)

 

100+ Discounts for Firefighters and First Responders (bradsdeals.com)

 

95+ First Responder Discounts (offers.com)

 

Does Abuelo’s Offer Senior Citizen | AARP Discounts?

Summary: At this time the chain does not offer any senior citizen discounts.

If you are 50 or older, there may be a restaurant (and other retail locations) that you can take advantage of. Here are a few resources to refer to –

Senior Citizen Discounts by State (seniorcitizendiscountlist.org)

 

List of Senior Discounts On Restaurants (theseniorlist.com)

 

Amazing Dining Deals (aarp.com)

 

Restaurant Senior Discounts: Where to Dine Out for Less at 50+ (after55.com)

 

40 Restaurants That Offer Senior Discounts (wisebread.com)

 

Are There Any Other Discounts or Benefits at Abuelo’s?

Summary: The restaurant chain offers their Abuelo’s Loyalty Program which provides several ongoing benefits. Check their page for current information and promotions. Also, make sure and check out our Rewards Program Page for links to all restaurants featured on Back of the Menu.

 

Amenities

Order Online: Online Order

WiFi Available: Yes

Use Apple Pay: No

Reservations: Yes  

Catering: Catering Menu

Drive-Thru: No 

Open 24 Hours: No  

 

Customer Reviews of Abuelo’s

Yelp: 3.5/5 or 69%, 1,367 reviews sampled

Tripadvisor: 4.3/5 or 85%, 2,225 reviews sampled

Overall (weighted) Average: 3.96/5 or 79%, 3,592 reviews sampled

 

Abuelo's & Related Items on Amazon

Food & Nutrition

Menu:  Abuelo’s Menu

Kids Menu:  Abuelo’s Kids Menu

Most Popular Menu Item: Alambre De Camaron (under House Specialities)

Coke or Pepsi: Coke

Serve Alcohol: Yes

Nutritional Information: Abuelo’s Nutrition Guide

Vegetarian | Vegan Options: Abuelo’s offers Vegetarian Fajitas, but that was the only official vegetarian option listed on their site. Below are some additional sites that will help you look for vegetarian choices when you dine out.

Additional Resources:

 Vegan Options At Popular Fast Food Chains (onegreenplanet.org)

 

Here’s How to Eat Vegan at Your Favorite Chain Restaurants (chooseveg.com)

 

Eating Vegan at National Restaurant Chains (insteading.com)

 

Your Best Vegan Option at 35 Popular Restaurants (eatthis.com)

 

Try These Vegan Fast Food and Chain Restaurant Options on the Go (peta.org)

 

Clean Eating (farm to table, organic options, non-GMO, etc): No resources found.

Here are a few great resources for you as you look for clean eating options when you dine out.  –

 

Eat Local Grown.com

 

The Best Farm-to-table Restaurant in Every State (travelandleisure.com)

 

Clean Eating Dining Out Guide (cookinglight.com)

 

How to eat clean even if you’re eating out (mindbodygreen.com)

 

7 Rules For Clean Eating When You’re Eating Out (coreperformance.com)

 

Miscellaneous Nutrition Resources: 

Abuelo’s Nutritional Information (fatsecret.com)

Healthy Meals You Can Order at Any Mexican Restaurant (eatthis.com)

What are the Healthy Options at Mexican Restaurants? (healthydiningfinder.com)

 

Allergy Information

Allergen Information: Abuelo’s doesn’t offer allergy information at this time.

Gluten Free Options: 

Abuelo’s Gluten Free Menu (urbantastebud.com)

Dairy Free Options: No resources found, but the following may be helpful to you.

Restaurant Guide For Dairy-Free Dining (godairyfree.org)

Peanut Free Options: All Menu Items for Abuelo’s state the following: “Please be advised that food prepared here may contain peanut products”. The articles below may also be helpful to you.

Food Allergy Guides For Many Chain Restaurants (verywellhealth.com)

 

Ways to Eliminate Risks of Peanut Allergy When Dining Out (healthguidance.org)

 

Does Abuelo’s Have Any Secret Recipes?

Abuelo’s Secret Recipes:  

Spinach Casserole (geniuskitchen.com)

Tomatillo Lime Salsa (thechunkychef.com)

Papas con Chile (mommytravels.net)

Salsa (recipezazz.com)

Variety of secret recipes at Abuelo’s (abuelosathome.blogspot.com) (allrestaurantrecipes.com)

 

Did You Know?

Fun Facts: 

Since 2006, Abuelo’s has been ranked consistently the #1 Mexican Restaurant in American by consumers (source)

Each Abuelo’s restaurant is modeled after an open-air Mexican courtyard (source) 

James Young, Abuelo’s founder, is Chinese and immigrated to America from Taiwan in 1974. He came here to study engineering at Texas Tech. (source)

After coming to the States, Young’s first part-time job was at McDonald’s and then a Chinese restaurant. It was his experience at those that lead him to start his first Chinese restaurant by renting a taco stand that had gone out of business in Lubbock. (source)

 

Interesting Articles:

Abuelo’s refreshes menu, look in the 25th year (nrn.com)

Abuelo’s Celebrates Fall with Spicy New Menu Items (businessinsider.com)

Abuelo’s Mexican Restaurant Brings the Flavor of Mexico to Houston Area (marketwatch.com)

Abuelo’s mixes authentic food with Mexican heritage (clevelandjewishnews.com)

Founder and owner of Abuelo’s restaurants (depts.ttu.edu)

 

Abuelo's & Related Items on Amazon

 

Abuelo’s on Social Media

Followers (as of October 2018) –  

Facebook: 58,727

Twitter: 732

Instagram: 2,990

Mobile Apps

Abuelo’s doesn’t offer any mobile apps at this time

Alternatives

Food Type: Chuy’s, Freebirds World Burrito, Moe’s Southwest Grill

Restaurant Type: Applebee’s, Lucille’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que, Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen, Red Robin, Texas Roadhouse

For an alphabetical listing of all our restaurants, simply go to our Restaurants Page.

 

In Summary

The story of James Young is an example of one of the very reasons I started Back of the Menu. He may be from China by way of Taiwan, but he has created the American dream for himself and his family by taking a chance and a lot of hard work while treating others like they would want to be treated along the way. Most would have stayed at Texas Tech and finished their advanced degree in Engineering, but Young (and his now wife) decided to trust their abilities, talents and hard work rather than trust the process of being an engineer working for someone else. Having eaten at Abuelo’s a handful of times over the years, I’m certainly glad he did. We, of course, need engineers but we also need more people like Young who is willing to take a risk and trust their abilities to create something instead of giving their hard earn work, raw talents and best years of their lives to working for someone else. If so, we may have more companies like Abuelo’s, the country’s leading Mexican restaurant, year after year.

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