Sept. 26, 2024

It’s going to take a little longer than expected before Casa del Rey returns to Sioux Falls — but it’s getting closer.

The Mexican restaurant at 901 W. Russell St. closed in July after serving Sioux Falls since 1980.

Owner Cory O’Brien then quickly sold the business to longtime restaurant owner Janet Eining and her family.

“The building is 40 years old, and you get one opportunity to do something right, and you need to take advantage of that opportunity,” said Tate Eining, Janet’s son and a co-owner along with his sister Kibbi McCormick and her sister Beth Cogley. Among them, the family also owns and operates The Original Pancake House and Josiah’s Coffeehouse, Cafe & Bakery.

“When you’re reopening a restaurant, any changes that need to be done, that’s the time to do it,” Eining said. “And the more we dug in and started playing with stuff, the more changes we found that we wanted to make.”

Most changes won’t be readily apparent outside the kitchen, he said. The restaurant needed a fire sprinkler and grease trap, for instance.

“Uneventful stuff, but very, very important to the restaurant world,” Eining said. “All new coolers, prep stations, really giving it a boost to bring it up to date. The coffee makers were just fine, but they’re 25 years old, so it’s time to put new ones in.”

Lights on the outside of the building had to be changed to LED, which was a process that took longer than anticipated, and the entire building was thoroughly cleaned, he added.

“All the really hard stuff is done,” Eining said. “Now, it’s a matter of putting everything back together how we think it’ll be the best kitchen setup.”

While they’d hoped to open in mid-September, it’s now looking like sometime in the second half of October, Eining said.

The layout of the restaurant will stay the same, with separate bar and dining areas, “and it will be the same Tex-Mex fun atmosphere,” he said.

“There will be new stuff added while all the staples stay on the menu, and a lot of it will be putting our own twist on some of this. We’re going to use higher-end ingredients and be prepping almost everything.”

Customers repeatedly ask about the return of a Sunday brunch buffet, which will happen “at some point,” he said. “But we have to get our feet under ourselves before we can run.”

Since the announcement the family was buying and reopening the restaurant, the public outpouring of support has been “unreal,” he added. “Sioux Falls has a very, very good restaurant following, and people are very loyal to their restaurants here, and we appreciate that big time.”