COLORADO SPRINGS — Hispanic Heritage Month is underway and one local restaurant owner is proud to be serving Mexican food for almost 30 years. But, his story has been full of obstacles in recent years.
Rudy’s Little Hideaway is a staple here in Colorado Springs. Since 1994, Rudy Escobedo has been running this restaurant after moving to Colorado Springs from Mexico many decades ago. Rudy tells News5 that he cooks his food with lots of love and he believes that this passion makes the customers come back for more.
But what makes his story unique, dates to the year he opened his first restaurant. Rudy explains that he first tried serving all American food with American breakfast options being the main items on the menu. While the food was tasty, customers started making requests for authentic Mexican food. Excited that customers wanted to try what Rudy refers to as his “bread and butter,” he decided to take a leap of faith and change course.
“Now I’m mostly Mexican food. Even my breakfast is Mexican food so I’m very, very happy that people love my food," Escobedo said.
After seeing much success, Rudy was able to move his restaurant to its current location on South Eighth Street in 2010. He says he’s thrilled to have a space that is much larger than his old location. And little did he know, the amount of space would come in handy during the pandemic when customers needed to socially distance.
Rudy's business struggled to keep its doors open during the pandemic. But, he was able to keep some staff members on, helping the company survive. However, Rudy says if it weren’t for his loyal customers, they would’ve had to shut down for good. He is very thankful for these customers and their support. For many customers, the feeling is mutual.
“I’ve been coming here ever since Rudy opened here but I also went to Rudy’s other place over on South Nevada years ago, and I don’t know how many years Rudy’s been here, but he’s always had a consistent product, the food is always great, and the service is always exceptional,” Randy Kilgore, Rudy’s regular customer, said.
