Local restaurant and bar, Lupe’s, located in the middle of Monroe Avenue closed Feb. 2 after eight years of serving authentic Mexican cuisine and great memories for every patron.
The property has been officially purchased by Riva’s Taco Shop as a second location in Corvallis to open up in the next few years.
Lupe’s owner, Lupe Mendoza, explained that he is moving to Montana to be closer to his family who are caring for an elderly family member.
Mendoza, who goes by Lupe, grew up in Merida,Yucatán in Mexico learning local recipes from family and street vendors.
When Lupe moved to the United States, he had hopes of sharing his family’s recipes with people.
In 2017, Lupe bought the Monroe Avenue property and a year later opened a restaurant named after himself — a place where families and college students could go for a good meal and good memories.
Lupe’s also became a staple for Corvallis nightlife. Thursday through Saturday after 9 p.m., Lupe’s transformed into a bar for Oregon State University students, offering deals such as $1.50 tequila shots on Thursdays or “Ladies night” where women could get $6 doubles.
These promotions quickly brought students in and they never wanted to leave. Many OSU students can be seen around Corvallis sporting their Lupe’s hat as a reminder of the memories made in the establishment.
After eight years, Lupe has decided to sell the restaurant and move to Montana to be with his family.
Lupe’s is leaving as the owner Lupe Mendoza has to move to Montana to be with his family.
Leaving his restaurant behind was not easy for Lupe as he has many cherished memories.
“(My favorite memory is) everything — customers, the food, having fun when the kids come here and they like tequila Thursdays,” Lupe said.
Rudolpho Pats, who has worked at Lupe’s for six years and has known the owner since 2004, says around 80% of their customers are recurring.
“It’s a loss for Corvallis,” Pats said. “(Lupe’s) is such a different place compared to other Hispanic restaurants. I think it brought something different to town.”
Pats said his favorite memories from his time at the restaurant are the positive interactions between staff and “the little inside jokes here at work that sometimes make long shifts bearable.”
Angie Poyer, who has worked with Lupe for almost two years, enjoyed the time she spent with the staff outside of work.
“(My favorite memories are) having a beer, hanging out with the guys, … all the fun stuff, inside jokes and all the weird little things that we talk about,” Poyer said.
Poyer and Pats both said they consider the staff at Lupe’s family.
Poyer recalled the times where Lupe’s owner, Mendoza, would cook for the staff and they all would sit around and chat about anything going on in their lives.
Since 2018, students have always known they can come to Lupe’s and be treated as family, either through karaoke nights or making new friends.
For years, Lupe has created a fun environment for students.
Poyer said Lupe’s closing will also be sad for OSU alumni who have moved away but will return for a visit to find Lupe’s is no longer there.
