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East Texas woman opens 3rd restaurant in Tyler

Ruby's Mexican Restaurant is opening a third location in Tyler.

TYLER, Texas — Ruby’s Mexican Restaurant is no stranger to the taste buds of East Texas. Owner Ruby Abarca is opening a third location Friday on South Broadway Ave. in Tyler and preparations are well underway.

But the journey to get to her third location hasn't always been easy. 

"I used to sell basket tacos. I also sold tamales and empanadas," Abarca said. 

She worked for a local restaurant in town that was shut down due to the pandemic. She had just bought a house and couldn’t afford to lose it.

"So we started selling at my mom's house," Abarca said. 

As a kid, she lived in the kitchen spending time with different spices and ingredients.

"Since I was six years old, I would ask my mom what are you doing. But I would do it to eat before the food came to the table," Abarca said. 

As an adult, she's had to make many sacrifices for her career. As a single mom, she's missed many of her kids' activities to be the main provider.

"We are such a close family (so) that the hardest part was not being there for my children," Abarca said.

Now, she’s helping others who are struggling to open their own business in East Texas.

"Yesterday a lady from Henderson came and she had just opened her little place and she came to ask me a thousand things and I answered them all. I even sent her to the (person) who does the taxes for me," Abarca said.

As she gets ready to open her next location, she wants to thank the community that has not only supported her these past two years but her employees, that depend on her too.

"It's not just me, but 40 employees behind me, forty people who count on me, forty families," Abarca said.

She said down the road she hopes to open more locations across East Texas and have a food truck open past midnight for everyone’s midnight munchies. 

The grand opening for the third restaurant, located at 3502 S. Broadway Ave. Suite 408, will be Friday.

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