The future home of Anita’s in Virginia Square (staff photo by Jared Serre)
A local chain of New Mexico-inspired restaurants has set its sights on Arlington.
Anita’s, which has served New Mexican cuisine in Northern Virginia for nearly 50 years, intends to open a fast-casual dining location in Virginia Square later this year, Vice President of Operations Tommy Tellez told ARLnow .
The restaurant will be the first in Arlington for a family restaurant. Located at 3444 Fairfax Drive, it will replace the former Extreme Pizza location that closed earlier this year.
“We’ve never had a restaurant inside the Beltway, so this is a first for us,” Téllez said. “But of our catering, delivery and delivery services, 75% right now is Arlington, DC, even more so Arlington. Then the opportunity came and we took advantage of it.”
Founded in 1974, Anita’s currently has nine locations in Loudoun, Fairfax and Prince William counties.
Most operate as a traditional dining establishment, with customers receiving table service. However, the Virginia Square location will require customers to order at a counter before finding their seat, an idea resulting from the company’s experience during the pandemic.
Anita’s takeout efforts, which accounted for about 65% of the company’s business before the pandemic, only grew as dining rooms closed, Téllez said. The success of the model and the benefits of operating a smaller restaurant space have led the family to double down.
The Virginia Square restaurant will be the company’s second following the fast-casual model, in addition to a Manassas location that opened in January.
“When you walk in and order, the atmosphere is like you’re in a nicer establishment and I’m still serving it to you on plates…you’ll feel that experience, but you’re ordering at the counter.” Tellez said. “They give you a number and you sit down to dinner, but then you also have the option of taking it to go.”
Much of Anita’s traditional menu will be served at the Virginia Square location, including its popular breakfast burritos. But minor modifications will be made to accommodate the fast pace of a fast-casual environment.
“It won’t change much,” Téllez said. “We are going to feature some weekly specials. Because it’s a takeout place, the table turnover is much faster, so we’re modifying the menu a little bit for items that are a little quicker to prepare.”
For now, Anita’s aims to open the Virginia Square location in late summer.
“We worked pretty quickly,” Téllez said. “We have in-house teams that do our cosmetic renovations… so we control the schedule. And we are not as patient as most.”
[fifu]
Keynote USA
For the Latest Local News, Follow Keynote USA Local on Twitter.