December 2, 2006
Have you ever helped make a restaurant popular, only to have it become so popular that you have a hard time getting a table? That’s what’s happened to my wife and me. When the homestyle Mexican restaurant, Rey Azteca, opened in our hometown of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, we were regulars from Day One. It’s safe to say we’ve eaten at Rey Azteca at least once a week every week since it opened, except perhaps a handful of times when we were out of town. Now, the place’s business has exploded! Every day, it’s jam-packed for lunch and dinner. As for getting a table on Friday or Saturday evening, fuhgeddaboutit. And the parking lot is like a demolition derby–not enough spaces for all the customers’ vehicles. In fact, our car was hit and damaged just a few weeks ago in that lot! (Keep in mind, Rey Azteca is located in a former Pizza Hut, and it’s not that big. Plus, it’s along a main drag, so parking is limited to one small lot or the edge of one side street.) It gives me mixed feelings, because I really WANT Rey Azteca to succeed and thrive…but I also really want to have a table waiting whenever I walk in the door. Word is, the owners plan to expand…but I have to tell ya, I don’t think it’ll be enough. I mean, this place is GREAT! You oughtta check it out! Seriously! (And then I wonder how the word of mouth gets out and I can’t get a table on Friday night…)
