The coronavirus pandemic may feel like it has receded into the past for many, but for some business owners, its effects can still be felt.
Isabel Mendoza, whose parents Luisa and Jesus founded the vegetarian restaurant and health food store Mr. Natural, told the American-Statesman that the family made the difficult decision to close its location at 2414 S. Lamar Blvd. after 20 years due to sluggish sales that were compounded by the current high price of goods. Friday is the location’s last day of business.
The Mendozas opened the store in December 2003 at the corner of Bluebonnet Lane and South Lamar Boulevard following the success of their first location at 1901 E. Cesar Chavez St., which they opened in 1988, a few years after the family moved to Austin from Monterrey, Mexico.
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Mr. Natural was at the time of its opening and still today something of an outlier in the Mexican food space, selling a strictly vegetarian menu, along with supplements, baked goods, juices and health foods.
The South Lamar location closed for six months after the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and Isabel, who along with her brothers Jesus Jr. and Jose, work with their parents at Mr. Natural, says the business never bounced back, with many people assuming the restaurant and store had permanently closed.
Isabel also said the South Lamar location had lost many of its longtime customers in recent years due to relocation out of state and to the suburbs, with many looking for a change of scenery or more affordable places to live. Mr. Natural’s lease ended in December, and Isabel said the family had been operating on a month-to-month lease in 2023. The Mendozas have offered employment at the Cesar Chavez Street location to their employees at the closed location.
Mr. Natural isn’t the only Mexican food restaurant in the area to close since the start of the pandemic. Maria Corbalan sold her Maria’s Taco Xpress, the taqueria with the iconic sign across the street from Mr. Natural at 2529 S. Lamar Blvd., in September 2020.
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The location on East Cesar Chavez St., which sits on property owned by the family, continues to do healthy business, Isabel said, thanks in part to the regular parade of weekenders occupying the many short-term rentals in the ever-developing neighborhood.
The Mendozas are regularly approached with offers to purchase the property, according to Isabel, but she says her family has no plans to leave.
“We’re not looking to sell. This will continue on,” Isabel said. “It’s our life’s work.”
