Food truck owners Onel and Pam Perez and their daughter, Mariah, briefly appeared on “The Great Food Truck Race” on the Food Network in 2015, but their stint lasted one episode, when the truck was sent home after a rocky start in the competition.
The road to establishing their own brick-and-mortar restaurant has been somewhat smoother.
Last month, after years of operating their food truck, which serves Cuban delicacies like ropa vieja and fried plantains, The Guava Tree Cuban Cafe & Cantina opened at a permanent address, albeit one where their food truck can still park right out front, around the corner from McKinney Square.
“We have been looking for the right space for about three years,” Pam Perez said. “In March of this year, right before COVID, we found our current restaurant space and knew it was perfect for our concept. It was a challenge opening during COVID but the risk was definitely worth it.”
The longtime McKinney residents criss-crossed North Texas with their food truck for eight years, but knew that McKinney was where they wanted to be. (The duo also operates Sir Frank’s Fancy Dog & Sausage Truck.)
“We chose this location because it was the perfect size with the opportunity to grow plus it allows us to keep our food truck and the restaurant,” she said.
With its festive happy hours on the large patio (frozen mojitos, anyone?), just inside of one month, the restaurant has already made itself quite at home.
