The end of summer can be a melancholy thing; many feel the sting of shorter days and the return to school. A busy hospitality group with an impressive resume is doing its part to lessen the ache-with an assist from delicious, freshly prepared Mexican food. Rio Lobo Cantina, the next project for Wolf River Hospitality Group, will be opening in Germantown this autumn, reports the Memphis Business Journal.
Rio Lobo Cantina will fill the Mexican food void left at 3165 Forest Hill Irene Road when Asaderos Mexican Grill closed in July. Locals won’t have to put their Taco Tuesdays on hold for too long-Wolf River Hospitality co-owner Kirk Cotham says he anticipates a September opening for the new restaurant.
According to paperwork filed with the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development, the 8,848 square foot building will be able to accommodate up to 234 customers. Wolf River Hospitality co-owner Chad Foreman aims to ensure that-despite the restaurant’s size-an evening at Rio Lobo Cantina feels personal and intimate. Speaking of his partner’s interior design intentions, Cotham states: “One of his focus areas has been to create a space that doesn’t feel quite so big, so it doesn’t have a sea of chairs or sea of tables, where you stand at one and see every table in the restaurant. So, on a Friday night, we’ll have the available seats, but when you’re sitting there, you won’t feel like you’re in a 300-seat restaurant.”
Of course, Wolf River Hospitality understands that the best ambiance in the world won’t matter if the food isn’t exemplary. Rio Lobo Cantina will be using all fresh ingredients to prepare its selection of Mexican classics, including quesadillas and tacos. The over-21 set will be able to enjoy a range of superior mezcals and tequilas.
For its part, Wolf River is hoping to make Rio Lobo Cantina an essential part of the local community; the website states: “We hope to be your neighborhood spot for lunch, a casual dinner or anything in between!”
