MIDLOTHIAN, Texas — Read this story and more North Texas business news from our partners at the Dallas Business Journal
The revitalization of downtown Midlothian is opening new business opportunities.
Part of an abandoned 17,000-square-foot-warehouse will be turned into a new location of El Primo's Mexican Grill & Cantina. The restaurant itself should occupy about 13,000 square feet and the rest could be residential lofts.
It will be the second El Primo's, after the original in Mansfield.
El Primo's owner Todd Tonore said he picked the new location because of the growth coursing through this region on the south side of the Metroplex.
The building is owned by Tonore Real Estate Holdings LLC, which purchased it in 2022.
Tonore is also a member of Mansfield City Council and said his position keeps him in tune with what's happening in neighboring cities.
Though Midlothian has fewer people, the city has twice the landmass of Mansfield and is home to three interstates instead of two.
"Fast forward 10 to 15 years from now, Midlothian is actually gonna' be much bigger than Mansfield," Tonore said. "DFW is growing south."
Tonore added that many of Midlothian's new city council members are "forward thinking," and that they're trying to revitalize the downtown area, centered around Main Street and Avenue F.
Last year, construction began on combined new city hall and public library downtown. The $25 million building, which Tonore said should be ready by the end of the year, is funded by a bond package approved by voters in 2021.
"When you see cities investing in certain sectors of their own town, you can pretty much bet that there'll be a lot of growth around that," Tonore said.
Midlothian's population grew about 16% from 2020 to 2023, reaching an estimated 41,352 last year, according to the latest U.S. Census Bureau data.
The second El Primo's location could cost around $3 million for interior and exterior renovations, according to a July 30 filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
Southern Construction Management is leading renovations of the warehouse, Tonore said. Terry Hawkins at No.10 Design Group is the architect. Tonore said construction should begin between August and September and wrap up in fall 2025.
"We're going to take something that's generated zero tax revenue for [Midlothian] and, at buildout, this building will be worth somewhere in the neighborhood of about $6 million," he said.
He said the Mansfield restaurant is a family-friendly place "for the locals to go eat" that appeals to eaters of different backgrounds and income levels.
The Mansfield location generates around $6 million to $7 million in annual sales, Tonore said. Tonore expects to employ about 80 to 100 people in the Midlothian location, and seat about 600 people — figures similar to the Mansfield location.
Further expansion is possible for El Primo's as Tonore said he's received outreach from other places. However, he wants to start close to home.
"I don't want to build in Southlake today before I build one in Midlothian that's 12 miles away," he said. "[The restaurants are] easier to manage the closer they are."
Tonore is the founder and CEO of several other business, according to the City of Mansfield website, and owns The Vault Seafood & Steakhouse in Mansfield.
