New Los Banos restaurant is the fulfillment of a family dream
Zafiro Seafood and Grill, a newly opened restaurant in Los Banos, was a family dream in progress for seven years before it was fulfilled.
The owners, Francisco and Gladys Sanchez, wanted to open a restaurant in Los Banos since they moved here from Los Angeles seven years ago. After much searching and researching, they decided on leasing the old Shiner’s restaurant at 650 I Street last February and opened it in December.
They called it Zafiro (Spanish for sapphire) because that’s Gladys’ birthstone, a gem which can cut diamonds. They added “Seafood and Grill” to let prospective customers know that this was not just an ordinary restaurant but, in their words, a “classy restaurant” that served tasty, fresh food.
The road to Zafiro was one that had many twists and turns. Francisco met Gladys by chance in Los Angeles, where he lived. She owned a retail clothing business in Virginia and had come to L.A. for a convention. He was a native of Los Angeles who happened to meet her by chance in a restaurant.
Francisco fell for Gladys so deeply that he followed her back to Virginia. There they opened a Mexican restaurant that did well for a couple of years, until they both decided Los Angeles provided them more opportunity and better weather.
After living in L.A. for a while, they both realized they needed to move again — to a better place to live and raise a family. Francisco’s brother, Jorge, lived in Los Banos, where he worked for the Morningstar Company. Gladys and Francisco arrived in Los Banos in November 2013 and moved into a rented home.
They both had the dream to open a restaurant, just as they had in Virginia. But they needed to wait for the right time and place.
In the meantime, Francisco worked at several jobs, involving computer programming, cell phone repair and solar energy. He liked the idea of solar so much he started his own company, Solar Solutions Energy (which he still runs today).
“We looked everywhere for the right situation for a restaurant,” Francisco said, “in Gustine, Patterson, even Oakdale, as well as Los Banos. But nothing seemed right, especially for Gladys. I trust her judgment. Her decisions always turn out for the best.”
In early 2019 they learned that the business which had been the Shiner’s Restaurant was available. They looked at the place and talked with the owners.
After a lot of thinking and talking, they decided to go forward. And a year ago, in February 2019, they signed a lease.
They realized they had a lot of work to do. “Inside the place was a mess,” Francisco said. “And we wanted to create what Gladys calls a ‘classy’ restaurant and bar. With the help and support of many family members and friends, we worked long and hard for months until it was ready to open in early December 2019.”
When I visited Zafiro Seafood and Grill earlier this month, Francisco was behind the bar, Gladys was in the kitchen cooking, and one server, also named Gladys, waited on tables. The menu included everything from fresh fish to steak and a variety of burgers, with generous portions and reasonable prices.
To me it is an example not only of a restaurant dream but an American dream, two people investing a lot of sweat equity and hard work into a business which they believed would succeed.
Francisco considers Zafiro not just a restaurant but an investment in the community. “Los Banos is our home,” he said, “and our children go to school here. We want to work to make this a stronger community.
“We hope our restaurant can be one example of community improvement. Yes, we want to be successful in our business; but, just as important to us, we want to have a positive impact on our community.”
Sharon Silva, executive director of the Los Banos Downtown Association, believes Zafiro is just the beginning of an extensive rejuvenation of Los Banos’ downtown.
“Francisco and Gladys Sanchez are investing in our downtown,” she said, “just as David Sousa and Muki Sahota are investing by renovating the old Crest Theater and creating an upscale sports bar that will open later this year.
“Zafiro is the kind of place,” Silva said, “that will draw people to downtown Los Banos during the day and evening and make it a place people look forward to enjoying.”
Francisco hopes that the Downtown Association will soon invest in improved lighting on I Street. “Good lighting increases safety and a sense of security,” he said. “We want people who come to our restaurant at night to feel good, and that includes feeling safe.”
Francisco and Gladys hope that word spreads about Zafiro. They have a Facebook page and sponsor special nights that combine music with dining.
I hope their restaurant succeeds. I’m a sucker for people working hard to make their dream, an example of the American dream, come true.
John Spevak wrote this for the Los Banos Enterprise. His email is john.spevak@gmail.com.
