The owner of a local chain of La Hacienda restaurants is gearing up to bring two new restaurants to town under a new name – Catrina’s Tequila & Tacos.
Antonio Ayala, who has run the La Hacienda brand of South Carolina and Georgia restaurants for more than 25 years, has filed to establish two new businesses with the state: Catrinas Nexton and Catrinas Clements Ferry. That puts a face to earlier reporting on a new restaurant called Catrina’s Tequila & Tacos coming to two new developments – The Gates at Point Hope on Daniel Island and One Nexton in Summerville.
It’s not yet clear how this concept will differ from the local legacy of La Hacienda. Ayala’s original venture serves up “estilo de casa” (homestyle) Mexican cuisine inspired by his father, who came to the U.S. from San Jose de la Paz, Jalisco. The first La Hacienda was established in Greenwood, SC. Today, their website boasts nine locations – seven in the Charleston area, and two more in Northeast Georgia.
Both One Nexton and The Gates at Point Hope are currently under construction. No specific timeline has been announced for Catrina’s, but the first restaurants in the The Gates are anticipated to open in January 2024, while Nexton is expected to deliver its first restaurant tenants in Fall 2024.
