The Corner of Hope and Prosperity: El Rincon Mexicano, Inver Grove Heights

Sometimes starting and owning a business isn’t all big ideas and dreams. Sometimes it has a little more to do with an answered prayer for your family – which was the case for Inver Grove Heights restaurant owner Mireya Sanchez of El Rincon Mexicano.

An immigrant- and family-owned business, El Rincon has been an Inver Grove Heights staple with a community following since 2015. Her daughter, Sarai, is her right-hand, helping to translate and manage the business alongside her mother. They make a remarkable pair.

The restaurant embarked on their expansion into their new (current) space in 2021 – an ambitious project in those simmering post-pandemic years. As was the case for many during this time, unforeseen costs and logistics caused their project to stall. Funds were being exhausted, and paying leases on both the old and new locations was increasingly burdensome.

It was her son-in-law, a fellow Inver Grove Heights business-owner, who referred Mireya to the Minnesota Consortium of Community Developers (MCCD) for the Open to Business Program. This connection happened in the summer of 2022, and a path forward unfolded. Open to Business is funded by Dakota County cities and the Dakota County CDA.

In addition to working with Senior Business Advisor, Luis Mendoza, MCCD brought in a non-profit lending partner. Through collaboration, a final funding package was agreed upon the following year, which factored in MCCD financing, a business loan, and the owner’s equity. As for the process itself, Mireya and Sarai shared that it was very smooth, and there was clear appreciation for how accessible and supportive MCCD staff have been.

A successful and well-attended grand opening in the new space took place on January 27, 2025. Since then, the community response has kept them busy, serving mostly local folks (“our neighbors, friends, and family”) living and working in Inver Grove Heights.

While the idea wasn’t exactly to open and grow a restaurant business, El Rincon was the answer to Mireya’s prayer for her family, and it is evident that her strong values, including a deep sense of respect for family and community, affects the way they serve and do business.

Being a business owner is not an easy task, “It is much responsibility. Hard work. Good work,” Sarai translates for Mireya. Good, hard work that has brought them prosperity, and, with the help of MCCD, some hope for the future yet to be for El Rincon. “We want to keep serving people fresh food and good food, which is what we’re known for.”

And if you ask if this prayer, this business, has all been worth it: “Si.” A definitive yes.

El Rincon is open at 6500 Cahill Avenue in Inver Grove Heights from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday through Friday.

For the Open to Business Program, visit the CDA website at
www.dakotacda.org/open-to-business.