Mexican restaurant opens

A little off the top and sides isn’t the typical start of a restaurant, but that’s the story behind Luna’s Taqueria on the corner of Main Street and Highway LL in Belgium.

Restaurant owner Juan Olvera and building manager Sukhdev Gill bumped into each other during appointments with their barber, who later moved to Arizona.

The pair later met at a bar in Sheboygan.

“The first conversation was, ‘Hey dude, where do you get your hair cut now?’” Gill said.

Talk soon morphed into Olvera’s dream of owning a Mexican restaurant and Gill’s desire to fill the building that has been vacant since a cheese store closed in 2016.

Olvera has been in the United States since he was 7. He grew up in Mexico as the son of a restaurant entrepreneur.

Olvera’s first job was at Kentucky Fried Chicken when he was 13.

“I was always the one cooking the meat,” he said.

The partnership between Olvera and Gill led to Luna’s Taqueria opening last month.

The restaurant is named for Olvera’s mother and daughter. His mother is Mariana Luna and his infant daughter is Luna Mariana.

The menu primarily consists of tacos and burritos, and the restaurant paid $10,000 for a liquor license to offer margaritas.

 Olvera offers handmade tortillas and salsa, and plans to sell Hispanic groceries.

A drive-through offers Cedar Crest ice cream.

The building includes 1990s arcade games in a portion of the former Mobil station. Pool tables and TVs may be added later.

“We just hope to have a fun environment. People go out to eat to have a good time,” Olvera said.

Business so far, he said, has been great.

“We’re blessed. Everyone loves the food,” he said.

The gas station has been turned into Rocket Fuel Stop with payment at the pump only. Gill gives 2 cents per gallon to the Cedar Grove-Belgium Athletic Department.

A U-Haul rental business is also planned to open in two weeks.