“We’re really happy to be here,” said Sergio Ramos, the owner and business manager at Rancho Grande.

Rancho Grande has been in business for 22 years as the establishment was founded in 2004. When it made its debut in the Atlantic, there had been no Mexican Restaurant in the area for quite some time. The owner wanted to change that. His family had been in the food industry for all of Ramos’s life. He decided to make the move to Atlantic to start the staple restaurant the community now knows: Rancho Grande.

Ramos wanted to “present our food to the people here in Atlantic. 
Our Mexican food.” He does not see anyone in town as competition as everyone in town has goals and values which are needed to provide for the people of Atlantic. Above all else, cooking for his clientele is what Ramos loves the most.

Ramos advises students or anyone looking into the industry to “follow your instincts and do what you love.” He also said that starting a business “just” because you have the money is not the way to go about it. You must love what you are doing in order to find great success. 

Success in the restaurant business also calls for delicious food. Quesadillas, fajitas and burritos are Ramos’s favorite dishes–though he loves them all. However, the clientele’s most popular dishes are the fajitas. The chicken fried rice and steak fried rice are close seconds, primarily with the younger generations. Popular menu item for students at AHS include Shirley Temples, steak and fried rice, beef tacos and smoothies.

Ramos believes that his restaurant is family-oriented and a nice place for families to sit down and have a meal. Atlantic students agree.

Students from AHS frequently visit three to five times a month. Senior Gracie DeArment said, “It’s a good after-tan meal,¨ referring to her frequent stops after spending the day at the pool. ¨It makes me feel like I’m on the beach.”