Valley staple Serrano's adds new concept to family-run restaurant empire

While Kimberly Sneed was growing up in Chandler, Serrano’s Mexican Restaurant was always part of her life.

Her parents, Mike and Reba Bagley, frequently took her and her brother, Jon, to the original downtown Chandler location after church on Sundays. One of Sneed’s best friends had her wedding reception there. She continued to be a loyal customer even after she moved to the West Valley, occasionally meeting a friend for lunch when in the area.

In 2019, Sneed, her brother, and their spouses held a surprise 50th-anniversary party for their parents at Serrano’s.

“It was not only a nice surprise, it was a place that was meaningful to them,” Sneed says. “Food is a connection to emotions and memories, so it was a great way for us to have that meaningful place for them to celebrate.”

Many longtime East Valley residents have stories like this about Serrano’s, says Ric Serrano, CEO and one of seven surviving sibling owners of the local restaurant chain.

“I see people in our restaurant that say, ‘Hey, my parents brought me here and now I’m bringing my kids here,'” Serrano says. “We’re a generational business.”

The Serrano family business

The same is true for the ownership. Four generations have been involved in the family business, which wasn't always restaurants.

Serrano and his siblings’ grandfather, Albert Serrano, moved from Sonora, Mexico, to Tucson during the Mexican Revolution and worked at a clothing store. He and his brother, Luis, moved to Chandler and opened The Serrano Brothers Popular Store in 1919, which expanded over time to Casa Grande, Gilbert, Mesa and Phoenix.

Albert sold the family business to his two sons, Ernie and Rudy Serrano, in 1959. But as malls and big box stores became popular, their department stores began closing in the 1970s.

That’s when Serrano’s parents, Ernie and Eva Serrano, heard about a turn-key restaurant opportunity. They opened La Casa Serrano in 1979 on Arizona Avenue near the corner of East Boston Street, which is still their flagship location.

“Truly, out of survival mode, they said, ‘Let’s take a shot,’” Serrano says. “They used recipes we’d grown up on,” including their much-loved tamales, which haven’t changed since they opened.

At that time, he added, most of the then-eight siblings were adults with careers, but all pitched in to help.

“One thing that stood out was their name: La Casa Serrano,” Serrano says. “They had a reputation and knew everyone in town. All those old-time customers they sold clothing to came to the restaurant. It was busy right away.”

Although it was a hard grind being open seven days a week and until 1 or 2 a.m. on the weekends, Serrano added, his parents kept at it. They learned how to grow the chain despite sometimes having to close locations when they just didn’t work.

Today, the five restaurants throughout the East Valley serve the same homespun recipes passed down through the generations — from the lip-smacking meats to the legendary salsa, chips and bean dip, which are given free at their sit-down restaurants.

“I don’t think we’ve changed that core, and that’s what’s kept us relevant,” Serrano says.

Introducing a new concept

But for the first time in its history, this July Serrano’s added a new concept called Pronto by Serrano’s. The modern, fast-casual restaurant — which boasts a cat-like robot server delivering food to tables — took the place of a former traditional Serrano’s location on South Rural and Guadalupe roads in south Tempe.

The interior is light and bright thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows, which were revealed after the removal of saguaro-rib shutters that used to darken the dining room. Those ribs were incorporated into the new decor on one wall, which boasts vibrant red padded fabric panels with colorful stripes. Graphic black-and-white tiles throughout lend a lively note.

Customers can build their own burritos, tacos, nachos and bowls. A few new twists not on the original menu at Serrano’s include al pastor chicken, quesabirria tacos, stacked enchiladas, cauliflower rice and birria ramen. The tamales aren’t offered yet, however.

“The feedback we’ve gotten is we’re the place for picky eaters,” says Sarah Serrano Licht, Pronto’s general manager and Serrano’s daughter. “You could come here every single day and never order the same thing twice.”

Pronto is named after Serrano’s sister Stephanie who died of breast cancer in 2019. She started a restaurant called Pronto near St. Louis, Missouri, in the 1990s. She returned to Chandler in the 2000s when their father became ill to take care of him and work in the restaurants.

Ever since then, the siblings had mulled over the idea of trying a fast-casual concept. During the pandemic, when Serrano’s was only doing takeout and staff shortages were pervasive, they temporarily closed the Tempe location, which was their smallest, and moved the staff to other stores.

That’s when they decided the time was ripe to try the new concept, which took over two years to come to fruition.

While the Serrano's have their hands full for now fine-tuning Pronto, they hope to continue their legacy and expand the new concept with additional locations. But no matter what, they plan to remain true to the values of “faith, family, food,” Serrano says. “Those are the pillars that get us through the day.”

Pronto by Serrano’s

6440 S. Rural Road, Tempe