A new Southwestern-style restaurant in Virginia Square is on track to open in the next few weeks.
The only items left on the to-do list for Anita’s, which has been serving New Mexican cuisine at other Northern Virginia locations for about 50 years, are minor cosmetic updates.
“We’ve got furniture in and all that, and we’re not pending any last inspections,” vice president of operations Tommy Tellez told ARLnow.
The first location inside the Beltway for the family business, Anita’s will replace the former Extreme Pizza at 3444 Fairfax Drive. It will opt for a fast-casual model, providing a slightly smaller menu and quicker operation than most other Anita’s locations.
The chain has outposts in nine other locales, including the city of Fairfax, Vienna, Ashburn and Springfield.
To get the Arlington spot ready to go, Tellez has been focused on not only hiring new employees, but quickly getting them up to speed.
“I’ve got a team coming from an existing store that’s going to go down and train,” Tellez said, “but at the same time I’ve been hiring Arlington natives that have been commuting to our existing restaurants and been training in the meantime.”
When the restaurant does open, Anita’s intends to hold a grand opening event featuring a mariachi band and other festivities.
“There’s been numerous people coming up knocking on the window, that’s for sure,” Tellez said. “So we’re just excited. And really, you know, it’s been a treat to kind of see the following that we have out there, people that have moved to Arlington or retired or are in Arlington from the suburbs, and so it’s kind of neat.”
