METAIRIE, La. – Ryan Gootee General Contractors has begun building a new restaurant called Las Cruces Tex Mex located at 2935 Airline Drive, behind Planet Fitness at North Labarre Road in Old Metairie. It is scheduled to open in late summer of 2023.
The owners of Las Cruces Tex Mex are Marc Bonifacic and Aaron Burgau, who are veteran restaurateurs and partners in Central City BBQ.
“Las Cruces will have a family-friendly vibe with indoor and outdoor seating for 300. We’ll be smoking our meat, just like at Central City BBQ, but with different flavor profiles — and margaritas,” said Bonifacic in a press release.
The name Las Cruces is Spanish for “the crosses” and was inspired by its location next to a railroad crossing which cuts through Old Metairie. The cruciform design of the restaurant also informs the name. The restaurant’s site is a triangular parcel flanked by the railroad tracks, the Causeway Boulevard on-ramp, and the back of the Planet Fitness building.
This area of Old Metairie is seeing an increase in new restaurants, retail and other businesses that are providing the surrounding neighborhood with new dining and shopping options.
The outdoor seating area will feature artificial turf, and the back border of the restaurant’s footprint will be created with cargo containers to blend in with the railway that runs parallel to it.
New Orleans-based GOAT is serving as architect on Las Cruces Tex Mex. Others working on the project include Schrenk Endom & Flanagan Consulting Engineers, John Pulliam Landscape Architect LLC and Synergy Consulting Engineers.
