Contemporary Mexican restaurant Chechos has officially been saved, and will reopen under new ownership next Wednesday, April 24.
The new owners belong to a large group from outside of Penrith which operates 32 restaurants around Sydney, ranging from casual cafes to fine dining venues.
The group has 12 years of experience in Australia.
According to the marketing manager of the group, taking on Chechos was a no-brainer.
“The owners are quite familiar with the area; they love the area, and they love the community. I think Penrith is such a tight-knit community with a lot of ‘out there’ individuals and a really great population of people that are fun, and the business would work there,” they said.
“I think they’re very interested in the cultural aspect of a tapas menu and a Mexican-style restaurant. We had a taste of it being done properly by Chechos that we haven’t seen anywhere else, and we think that the concept is worth giving a good go.”
Despite being under new ownership, the marketing manager noted that everything we love about Chechos will be staying the same.
“We want to bring back to life the venue that was closed down so early, and that so many people loved,” they said.
One of these things is the previous team, of which the vast majority will be returning.
“We have a good relationship with the previous owners, and there’s conversations with the previous team, and what I was surprised to see was almost 80 to 90 per cent of the team is coming back,” they said.
“That’s really what everyone loved – the team members made it what it was – and us putting everyone back into employment who thought they were out of a job is quite rewarding as well for the group, and something that the owners are very passionate about.”
However, there are a few changes being made to the High Street venue.
“The hours will be Wednesday to Sunday, 5pm to 10pm, but Saturday and Sunday we’re actually going to be opening from midday doing a lunch service also, which is exciting,” they said.
“We are also looking to expand on that even further. Hopefully there’s demand for Tuesdays, and there’s demand for Mondays, and we can service the community seven days a week.”
With Chechos’ closure last month coming in the midst of a slew of hospitality closures in Penrith, and Australia-wide, the marketing manager said he can’t wait to see people come out and support the venue as it reopens.
“We are looking for people to come out, we want people to share their experience, and we want people to love it and have a good time,” they said.
“We’re very familiar with the venue and the area, but what’s different to last time is that we want to even go bigger on the vibe and the ambience of the venue, like potentially making it more of a nightlife venue, so you can stay local, but feel like you’ve done something really cool. You don’t need to trek to the city to get that experience anymore!”
The restaurant will be reopening with walk-ins only on Wednesday, April 24, with an official Grand Opening being planned for the coming weeks.
For more information, keep an eye on their socials.
Cassidy Pearce
Cassidy Pearce is a news and entertainment journalist with The Western Weekender. A graduate of the University of Technology Sydney, she has previously worked with Good Morning Macarthur and joined the Weekender in 2022.