Margarita's Has New + Owners + Menu + Look
By Amber Ward

New owners Dean and Lauren Whitt. Photo by Amber Ward

Margarita's Restaurant has new owners, Dean and Lauren Whitt. Together, they purchased the restaurant last November and are making improvements to the old Julian favorite.

Lauren has been a Julian resident for 12 years, and the couple has six children. Dean, originally from Texas, has a doctorate in education, a master's in business and several years' experience in restaurant management.

Lauren also has worked in the service industry for many years as a respiratory therapist and also as a hairdresser. She enjoys customer service and wants to continue working with people.

Dean and Lauren had been looking for business opportunities in Julian, and were interested in the restaurant business. They were looking for a place that didn't need an overhaul, but something they could just improve upon and already having a fondness for the food and atmosphere, Margarita's was the place.

With the purchase of Margarita's, the Whitts were able to just "pick up and go." They have made some changes, like new paint, landscaping and new menu items. They have added a few vegetarian dishes, enhanced the kids menu, and added a whole host of sandwiches to the old favorites, where they continue to use the original Margarita's recipes.

They also feature local wines and will soon be mailing Julian residents "Margarita's To-Go" menus with coupons.

"Margarita's has new owners, a new image, but the same great food," says Lauren. "This is a family run business that continues to employ Maragarita's original cooking staff," and "we would like to thank the locals for their continued business."

Margarita's now features a "Frequent Meal Card;" eat at Margarita's nine times and receive the 10th meal free.

The first week of March, Margarita's will be hosting its official Grand Opening, featuring a margarita machine and a chance to win two nights accommodations in Las Vegas. You can enter to win starting March 1 and the contest will run for 30 days.

Located at 2018 Main St., Margarita's is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday. To contact Margarita's, call 760-765-3980.