A dream began 37 years ago for the Cervantes family who owns La Mariposa Mexican Restaurant. The local restaurant owns four locations in Northern Colorado. On April 23, the family and the restaurant are celebrating with a grand re-opening of their Longmont location at 1240 Ken Pratt Blvd.
In December, the owners finalized the purchase of a building at 2033 Ken Pratt Blvd. and held a soft opening to the public. The new space features a rooftop deck, a grab-and-go marketplace and a late-night menu.
That journey began when Maria Cervantes wanted to buy some shoes for her son’s first birthday. Unable to afford the purchase, Cervantes began selling burritos out of a cooler.
“She would make burritos and walk around town to sell them, and as time went on she sold more and more,” said Jorge Murillo, who has worked at the restaurant for over a decade.
Cervantes’ husband did stone masonry at the Wells Fargo bank downtown. Cervantes asked her husband to take a cooler of burritos and sell them at the job site.
“He was embarrassed at first to ask his co-workers if they wanted to buy these burritos out of a cooler, so he just told them that if they wanted one, they could leave a dollar,” Murillo said.
Those sold quickly and Cervantes found herself making more and more burritos every week.
As her business grew, Maria Cervantes realized she needed a storefront. Her first restaurant was a small, 20x20 space on Ken Pratt Blvd. where she mostly sold those coveted burritos. From there, the customer base grew along with the menu. Eventually, La Mariposa would come to occupy multiple suites at the original location.
Today, the Cervantes family owns four La Mariposa locations in Longmont, Greely, Boulder and Lyons.
“We just want to give a big thank you to the community,” Murillo said. “For almost four decades, people have come to La Mariposa to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries and other important moments. We are excited to share our big moment with all of them.”
The celebration will take place from 4-7 p.m. on April 23, and will feature a ribbon-cutting, live music, drink specials and prizes. The patio and rooftop will be open, weather permitting.
