LAS CRUCES, New Mexico (KTSM) — Through multiple brainstorming conversations at the dinner table, a Las Cruces family of five came up with the idea of launching a coffee, wine, and pizza shop – all in one – called Grounded, which today has become a hot spot in Downtown Las Cruces.
“Oftentimes, we all sit around as a family just doing different things, cooking dinner or whatever. We just started throwing ideas out there, brainstorming,” said Tony Espiritu, co-owner of Grounded and the patriarch of the Espiritu family.
Grounded was opened in 2022, and is owned and operated by the Espiritu family. Tony and Sandra Espiritu are parents to Kendra, Kaitlin and Garrett Espiritu.
Grounded serves as both a restaurant and lounge. People can order special-made coffee and pastries from the bar, or pair select wine with a freshly made pizza straight from a wood-fire oven.
Grounded is located at 300 N. Main St. at the La Esquina Plaza.
Kendra Espiritu, the oldest of the three siblings, said the concept for Grounded drew a little bit from everyone in the family.
“We kind of combined it all. Combined all the passions and interests from each one of us. So wine and beer, and coffee and pizza, and it kind of all meshed really well together. So that’s how it all started,” Kendra Espiritu said.
The idea for the pizza part came from Tony Espiritu, who shortly after retiring from the Las Cruces Fire Department had thought about buying a pizza food truck. He admitted that the idea to combine a pizza and coffee shop seemed odd to him at first.
“Well, at first I was like those don’t really go together,” Tony Espiritu said. “The fusion of the coffee shop that the girls had always wanted to own as little kids, and the pizza thing just all started kind of coming together.”
With the entire family on board to launch Grounded, they said they first had to do extensive homework, as no one in the family was a seasoned professional in the food-service industry.
“My family is a family of go-getters. We get stuff done,” Kendra Espiritu said. “We didn’t have the expertise. We didn’t have the knowledge, but we decided to go all in and do our research. My dad and I did a couple stages in California where we learned how to do pizza making from a chef out there that we were friends with. So yeah, I think it’s just all about getting your hands dirty.”
Today, Grounded has lines out the door during peak hours, and Sandra Espiritu, the matriarch of the family, said they’ve developed a diverse clientele that comes together as a community.
“It’s so amazing because you see little kids come in, or high-school kids and college students, professionals. You have all kinds of people coming. People retiring here in Las Cruces. People just come through as tourists here in Downtown. So we really capture everybody. It’s family friendly. It’s for everyone,” Sandra Espiritu said.
For more information about Grounded, you can click here.
Read: Read More