Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Patrons leave La Cita Restaurant in Tucumcari, which recently received a $50,000 grant from the Backing Historic Small Restaurants Program through the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express.
La Cita Restaurant in Tucumcari last week earned a $50,000 grant from the Backing Historic Small Restaurants Program administered through the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express.
A total of 50 restaurants across the United States were awarded the grants.
Funds are designed to help "rejuvenate, innovate and expand their legacies, ensuring their cherished legacies endure."
According to the National Trust, at least $40,000 of each grant must be used for exterior improvements and $10,000 can be used for a partner to help develop the preservation project. Such projects must be completed by mid-December.
La Cita has been owned by La Cita Restaurant LLC since 2022, with Jerry Mares as the agent, according to data from the Quay County Assessor's Office and New Mexico Secretary of State's Office.
Phone messages to Mares requesting comment were not returned.
La Cita has gone through several improvements since the recent ownership change, including an expansion of its dining room and restoring its neon sign.
La Cita opened in 1940 on the north side of Route 66 in Tucumcari.
The newer building - with its signature giant sombrero over the entrance - opened across the street in 1961.
Other New Mexico restaurants that also received Backing Historic Small Restaurants Program grants included the Hotel Eklund in Clayton and the Capital Bar & Brewery in Socorro.
The Backing Historic Small Restaurants Program has awarded $3 million to restaurants since 2021.
