Casa Fiesta opens 4th location

Inverness Plaza has a new restaurant option. Casa Fiesta will open soon in the shopping center, taking over the space formerly occupied by Mugshots, which closed in September 2018.

This is the fourth location for Casa Fiesta, which began in Cullman in 2005. Three years later, a second location was opened in Fultondale and a third opened in Trussville in 2016.

Erik Zapien, one of the owners along with Benigno Ornelas, Arturo Espinoza and Alejandro Muniz, said while looking for a place for their next location, they were contacted by the property’s landlord.

“They found us and asked if we’d be interested in opening here,” Zapien said. “We said we would take a look, and the location seemed like a really good place. You can’t avoid an opportunity like this when it’s right in front of you. Everyone wants to have their business on 280.”

Once they took over the space, renovations began. The overhaul included updating the walls and bar, installing new flooring, installing new appliances in the kitchen and building a covered patio.

While Zapien handles operations for all of the locations, he said family members are in charge at each of them. His nephew, Alan Zapien, will be heading up the Inverness location, along with Esperanza Hernandez. The restaurants promise quality and fresh food, and all of their ingredients are fresh and picked from the best sources.

The extensive menu will be the same as the other locations, and Zapien said while it is a Mexican restaurant, there is a great selection of other options to offer, including steaks. Something else that distinguishes it from other restaurants is the special recipe margaritas, which are made in house.

Zapien said he plans to have a staff of around 30, and employees from the other locations will come in and train.

“Our new employees will be trained and learn the menu and the system that we are looking for,” he said. “People like our customer service and fun atmosphere.”

The restaurant will be open Sunday through Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Live music on the outdoor patio on Thursdays.

“We wanted to extend our hours on weekends to be open later so if people were out late, they would be close to home,” Zapien said.

Casa Fiesta will also offer catering for a minimum of 10 people. For more information and updates on their opening date, visit casafiestamexican.com.