Businessman finds Colleyville a perfect fit for new Mexican restaurant
.jpg "Zafiros Mexican Grill and Cantina is new to Colleyville. Owner Joe Murphy said his wife Carmen was among his inspirations.")
When it came time to re-enter the restaurant business, Joe Murphy turned to three things he loves: his wife, his favorite food and his favorite place to live.
Murphy is the owner of Zafiros Mexican Grill and Cantina in Colleyville. Just over six months in business (they opened Jan. 26) and it seems Murphy made a great choice.
”My favorite cuisine has always been Mexican food. That was further influenced by my wife Carmen, who is from Mexico. She lived in places like Acapulco and Mexico City, so I have had the pleasure of enjoying her wonderful cooking for the last 16-plus years,” Murphy said.
The tacos del mar are a popular dish, a blackened fish of the day, savoy cabbage, fried Fresno pepper, grilled corn, radish, avocado, serrano mayo, and Guajillo salsa served on fresh flour tortilla. Another of the biggest sellers is mi madre’s flank steak.
”The flank steak is my mother’s secret recipe,” Murphy said, describing it as marinated flank steak cooked on an open flame, sliced very thin, with Mexican sweet corn, and mashed potatoes mixed with Oaxaca cheese and minced bell peppers.
Investment in community
Colleyville Assistant City Manager Adirenne Lothery said the new restaurant is also a highlight to the city, sitting at 5204 Colleyville Blvd. The site was previously a medical building.
”It’s exciting to see more restaurants begin to locate in that area, with Stone House leading the way a few years ago,” Lothery said. ”It’s even more exciting that it’s a Colleyville citizen making that investment back into the community.”
Murphy said it’s simply a great location, at the entrance of the Village of Colleyville, where City Hall is located.
Murphy does not come from family with any history in the food industry. However, he has carved out his own strong reputation through four decades in casual dining operations.
He has been in executive leadership roles with such companies as Darden Restaurants, Brinker International and Cinemark Holdings, and operated brands like Red Lobster, Chili’s and On the Border.
He retired from the restaurant business after spending seven years at Cinemark as a divisional vice president and vice president of restaurant operations, where he was part of a team that was developing restaurant brands of both free-standing and dine-in-theater concepts.
Investing in community
Murphy couldn’t resist the urge to re-enter the world as a restaurant owner. And what better place to do it than in his beloved city of Colleyville, where he has lived twice — this time for the past six years after having lived there six other years in the past.
”I think investing into the community is part of our mission. We are a fledgling mom-and-pop company, just getting our legs under us, so at this point in our journey our giving back means being a part of the chamber, donating to school programs, the library, kids sport programs and such where we can,” he said.
Murphy also praised the work of his General Manager Scott Newman for helping make Zafiros a quick success.
“Scott is a long-time friend and business associate, and he has been instrumental in our success at Zafiros. We are both really excited to be here in Colleyville,” Murphy said.
“Joe is not only a great business partner but also a wonderful human being. One of his greatest qualities is that he genuinely cares about people,” Newman said. “This really helps us create a positive work environment and it’s easy to see why people love working with him so much.
“Opening a business with Joe in Colleyville has been extraordinary for many reasons. Everyone is so welcoming and it’s absolutely amazing how much support there is for local small businesses. There is this sense of camaraderie and a feeling of being a part of something special in our community.”
As for expanding to other locations in other cities, Murphy knows you never say never, but that’s a conversation for another time.
“Right now our focus is 100% on Colleyville,” he said. “If it leads us somewhere else down the road that would be a great outcome.”