Bravo Burrito in St. Cloud Gears Up for Spotlight on America’s Best Restaurants

(KNSI) – The owners of a popular St. Cloud Mexican restaurant are eagerly anticipating the premiere of an episode of America’s Best Restaurants featuring Bravo Burrito.

The TV crew swung in on Good Friday. Co-owner Mike Lardy told KNSI News he was a little nervous because the day ABR picked to film, the customer count is usually down. “Fridays during the Lent season aren’t always our busiest day, but we put a call out, and people sure showed up. We said come by you can get involved in the filming. And we had a lot of regulars, a lot of people I know. I’ve been here a long time. I have a lot of first-name relationships with customers.”

He has worked at the restaurant for 25 years. The team dished up their famous deluxe burrito, the legendary smothered burrito, and a new menu item, the pork slaw tacos, with a little of their homemade Bravo hot sauce. All of its food is made in-house.

Lardy has noticed a big jump on their social media sites, and that’s led to more traffic. “As far as business in the store that’s also been up. We’re busier in the restaurant. We’re also hitting springtime now. The weather is starting to get nice, and people are starting to creep out of their hibernation phase. We’re having a lot of fun here. We’re having some decent lines during lunch and during dinner.”

Jake Judd KNSI News

Lardy and his wife, Sam Hennen, bought the place three years ago. Hennen was thankful for the turnout and their team for pulling it off. “It was a super fun time. It was nice. It was neat. We felt a ton of love and a ton of support. Our team was amazing. During all of it, we got rocked that day. And we can’t say enough about how amazing our awesome team behind us is.”

The owners gave the place a new spruced-up look with a fresh coat of paint, local artwork and bullfighting prints from Mexico. Lardy and Hennen wanted to make sure the place looked its best for the cameras.

The show is expected to air sometime in May or June. Bravo Burrito plans to hold a premiere party as soon as they get word that editing is done.

You can find them at 68 33rd Avenue South in St. Cloud. They’re open from 11:00 to 9:00 every day and offer catering. For more on the restaurant, click here.

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