‘In growth we trust': Brownsville restaurateur wasting no time in franchising fast seafood concept

Tino’s Seafood, which opened in February in the Palm Village Shopping Center, finally got around to its grand opening on Wednesday.

Owner Tino Villarreal, 28, says he was waiting to iron out all the wrinkles in the concept, which involves a simple menu featuring large quantities of fresh seafood dine-in or to-go at reasonable prices. The jumbo shrimp and fish basket, for instance, is $5.99. Tino’s also has oysters, fish tacos, ceviche and shrimp cocktail, among other items, none of them too pricey.

Villarreal wants the concept to be solid because he’s very much in a franchise frame of mind these days.

Villarreal had barely opened the Palm Village store, a partnership with his father, when he franchised out a second Tino’s, on South Padre Island, which opened July 4. Brownsville got its second Tino’s, also a franchise, a little more than a month ago at Paredes Line Road and Ruben Torres Sr. Boulevard.

The company is already planning a franchise in McAllen, slated to open in January, and even San Diego, Calif., where a Tino’s is scheduled to open 1½ months from now. Villarreal says he recently had a meeting with a party possibly interested in opening three franchise locations in San Antonio.

All the seafood Tino’s serves is supplied by AMA Packing, owned by Celestino Villarreal, Tino’s father, a 30-year veteran of the seafood-processing industry. Even the California location will get its food through AMA, which supplies well-known retailers such as Pappadeaux’s Seafood Kitchen and Whole Foods grocery stores.

Opening a restaurant centered around his father’s products seemed like the logical thing to do, Villarreal says.

"We just found ourselves at the right place at the right time," he says. "I had some money to invest. How better to work with my father than to create outlets myself?"

Villarreal says he’s not afraid of growing too fast, though he is conscious of the risks.

"It does cross my mind," he says. "My biggest fear was can we set up a solid legal infrastructure? We’re doing a good job with that."

Villarreal’s motto: "In growth we trust." As a young man in his late 20s, Villarreal says he’s got plenty of time and energy.

"I’m young enough to say let’s all take a risk together," he says. "Right now the investment is minimal and the reward is pretty high. The restaurants are doing well."

He hopes the company succeeds not only on the state level but, with the San Diego location, earn some national branding as well. Wherever the journey ends up, Villarreal says Brownsville was an ideal first step.

"A lot of people underestimate our community, but I think this is the best place to start a business up," he says. "We’ve had nothing but support from customers and members of the community."