After 10 years, it’s time for a change.
El Gran Charro inside the Town Center at Aquia closed its doors to remodel on Aug. 3. Inside the eatery on Aug. 10, a team of workers worked in a dimly lit room working on the ceiling.
It’s a complete renovation for the restaurant that sits just off Route 1 in Stafford County. When it’s done, the bar will sit in the middle of the restaurant, and new tables and chairs will be positioned on both sides of the restaurant.
The bar had been located on the right side of the restaurant, and that made some customers who sat on the left side of the eatery a bit lonely.
“[When the left side began to empty out] customers thought they were the last ones in the restaurant, and that we were about to close,” said owner Jose Gallardo.
As in most cases, there were more people sitting at the bar on the other side of the restaurant, they just couldn’t see them. The new floor plan will make the eatery more open and inviting, said Gallardo.
The renovations to El Gran Charro are happening as it appears work on the surrounding town center could finally begin. A new plan announced this spring indicates new commercial buildings and apartment homes could be built at Town Center at Aquia.
Stores closed, and buildings were demolished here in 2007, and the property has remained largely untouched since then. El Gran Charro has been located inside the town center or a decade.
“The finished shopping center is going to help a lot,” said Gallardo.
El Gran Charro will reopen its doors with a few new menu items. Seafood dishes and some new appetizers are the main new additions.
The renovations should take about two weeks to complete.
“I thought [this project] was going to be a smaller thing… but it turns out we’ve made a bigger mess than we thought,” joked Gallardo.
