Red Mesa Group To Open 2nd Mercado Restaurant In Pasadena

PASADENA, FL — Red Mesa Group, a family-owned collection of concepts bringing regional Mexican to St. Petersburg for nearly 30 years, will expand to Pasadena with a second Mercado location in 2024.

Its plans beyond that include continued expansion of the Mercado concept across other neighborhoods in Pinellas County.

The Pasadena restaurant will be located at 6001 Central Ave. and will offer 250 seats and 80 parking spaces along with a 20-person freestanding full liquor bar, an addition driven by the group’s cocktail-forward vision for the Mercado brand.

Red Mesa Mercado offers family recipes with Cali-Mex and Old-World Mexican flavors, including bestsellers like the shrimp tacos, Cali Burrito and Plantain Bowl. The fast-paced outdoor eatery also includes a full liquor bar.

The group’s original Mercado location opened in 2014 at 1100 1st Ave. N. in St. Pete’s Edge District, offering a simple, from-scratch menu and casual-dining atmosphere.

Chief Operating Officer Pete Veytia III and his team were drawn to the space that was formerly home to Two Graces for its 1950s architecture and "Palm Springs feel" tying it to his mother’s
upbringing in Southern California, a major inspiration behind the Mercado brand’s origin.

“We try to build food destinations, and Mercado is without a doubt the concept we developed to be replicated,” said Veytia. “We look forward to debuting a truly unique space that allows us to stay true to our roots while continuing to meet the community where they are with this concept.”

Since the opening of the first concept Red Mesa Restaurant in 1995, the brand has expanded its footprint across the St. Petersburg community with additional concepts like Red Mesa Cantina, Red Mesa Mercado and even Quatro, a stationary food truck dishing out Americana cuisine with a St. Pete spin. The group has also grown its offerings to include a full service event venue and catering services.

Veytia said the group’s potential to expand is due largely in part to its market-specific business model and continuous efforts to boost efficiency.

He said, though Red Mesa Group felt many of the effects of the pandemic, it also catalyzed a season of growth for the business in reevaluating kitchen operations, strategic adaptations of its menus and creation of several new in-house roles and departments to streamline operations.

“A key driver of the impressive talent we’ve been able to bring in is our shared vision of expanding and improving one dish at a time,” said Veytia. “This team is hungry and recognizes that growth for the brand translates to innumerable opportunities for growth in their careers.”

In the last five years alone, the group has brought maintenance, advertising, marketing, purchasing, logistics and human resources in house, promoting employees from inside the company to fill necessary positions.

Pending permitting and approvals, construction on the second Red Mesa Mercado is expected to begin in October.