BY LUCIE KRISMAN
When Jasmin Ramirez tells the story of her family's business, she recalls that her parents opened Jasmin Restaurant in 2000 to widespread skepticism.
After all, how many restaurants combined Mexican and Chinese food into one menu?
"Someone told my dad in Eudora that we wouldn't last a few months," said Jasmin Ramirez, who was only 1 when her family started the restaurant. "He actually to this day still comes in and says he's thankful that we've lasted this long."
This week, the Ramirez family is celebrating the 20th anniversary of operating the downtown restaurant.
It’s a quiet anniversary, a private personal victory rather than a bigger celebration, since the restaurant is closed during the Douglas County stay-at-home order. However, the Ramirez family hopes to celebrate later after opening again.
The restaurant is undergoing interior remodeling in the meantime, including new countertops and floors. Jasmin Ramirez said the renovations will hopefully finish by Friday, five days before the restaurant plans to reopen April 23.
Her father J Ramirez said his favorite thing about his days at the restaurant is being with the customers and becoming familiar with them.
"We know everybody,” he said. “By 20 years, you know them by name, you know everybody. You feel like it's your own family by now."
He started cooking at a young age and worked in a Chinese restaurant. He and his wife Maria opened Jasmin at 719 Main St. after noticing the town did not have a Chinese or Mexican restaurant.
When they decided to open, it was difficult to narrow down what kind of food to serve, but they knew they wanted to offer more than one type of cuisine. J prepares the Chinese while Maria is in charge of the Mexican.
The food industry is difficult, and the Ramirez family felt it in the restaurant’s earliest years.
“It was really hard,” J Ramirez said. “We used to work harder before than right now.”
By age 11, Jasmin began serving at the restaurant. Now, she’s the manager and head waitress.
"When he opened the restaurant, their kids were younger,” she said about her father. “My siblings were younger. We didn't know, we didn't have much experience. But now we're able to help more."
Over time, the restaurant’s menu has grown to feature over 100 items. Among the best sellers are General Tso’s chicken, sesame chicken and taco salad, as well as the chimichanga, which was added to the menu five years ago after popular demand from customers.
"Time by time, we get more experience and more practice," J Ramirez said. "We see what we sell more, and we see what people request."
As one of Eudora’s longest-standing restaurants today, Jasmin Ramirez said the family does not necessarily see the town’s other restaurants as rivals.
"We don't see it that way,” she said. “It's just more business to Eudora, and it's making our community better. We all want to do the same thing. We're all trying to put food on our table."
After working 10 years at the restaurant, she has enjoyed getting to know the customers as well.
"I've gotten so close to the customers that are more like family now," Jasmin Ramirez said. "The good people definitely outweigh the bad. I've gotten really close to customers that are really special to me and they've seen me grow up."
As the family awaits the restaurant’s reopening, they remain optimistic for the future.
"I just hope we'll be able to be there longer, even though it's been 20 years,” Jasmin Ramirez said. “We're pretty proud of how long it's been."
Reach reporter Lucie Krisman at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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