Enrique’s, located at the airport in Ponca City, has served authentic Mexican food for over 30 years.

Founded in 1983 by Enrique Avila with his wife and sister-in-law, along with several family members chipping in for assistance.

The location of the restaurant used to be a place where a business would move in for a year or so, move on, and get replaced with something new. The then current owner before Enrique’s had sold the business to Avila’s sister-in-law, but when they got started, they learned that the previous owner did so under the table and wasn’t supposed to do that.

The City of Ponca City allowed Avila and his family to stay and continue to operate through the one-year contract. It took much trial and error, but the restaurant managed to find success and get a foothold in Ponca City and stayed on.

Today, Enrique works along with his daughter Mercedes Avila, who serves as vice president of the company, and for Mercedes, it means a lot to take on the family business.

“It means a lot and it took me a minute to get there. [My dad] worked very hard to build that, so in the beginning it was out of obligation, but over time I’ve been able to become more aware of what that means and taking it on as a blessing,” said Mercedes Avila. “And to keep that legacy alive, he immigrated here and is doing the American dream, coming here and providing for his family.”

There had been a few times that relocating the restaurant was considered. Enrique’s location inside of the airport, however, has become a part of the restaurant’s identity. Many people flying in know the restaurant by reputation and word of mouth, along with the community advantage of having a good view of runway as planes come and go.

“It’s a little bit of a show when [customers] come out,” said Mercedes Avila.

As with many businesses during 2020, Enrique’s had hurdles caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The restaurant was largely unaffected on the business end, managing to stay open and offer curbside all the while staying as busy, if not busier that pre-pandemic.

However, staff has been affected by COVID-19, with many either moving away or making career changes during the pandemic.

“Thankfully, by the grace of God, we have been just as busy,” said Mercedes Avila.

Enrique’s is a member of the Ponca City Chamber of Commerce, and pre-pandemic, tried to do any events they could and stay involved in the community. They helped out with the domestic violence fundraiser and ladies’ night out.

The restaurant has a presence on Facebook as well as their own restaurant website at erniquesmexican restaurant.com.