La Costa Mexican Restaurant Turns 10

La Costa Mexican Restaurant Turns 10 - Throws Party For Community

On July 11, over 250 people came out to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of local favorite, La Costa Mexican Restaurant.

Owners Jose and Maria German had advertised an open invitation to their loyal customers and beloved community to join them from noon - 1:00 pm for a free buffet lunch, hamburgers and hot dogs as well as free beverages, beer and wine.

"People told me that I must be crazy," said Jose. "But we are so grateful for what we have received from the community. They support us, are loyal and are why we are here now for 10 years. For me, this was one way to say ‘thank you' to the community."

The Gem County Chamber of Commerce held an official GCCC Ribbon Cutting to mark the occasion of this special anniversary and celebrate the newly, spectacularly-remodeled building.

For Jose and Maria, their restaurant is a result of years of exceptionally hard work, believing in their dream and sticking with it through the tough times.

"When I was a boy in Guadalajara (Jalisco) Mexico, I had a dream to move to the United States," said Jose. "I would see people coming from the U.S. and said, ‘One time, I will be there, build a house, buy a car'. We were farmers and my mom was raising 8 of us kids alone.  It's kinda sad and weird to think about this. When I was 17 years old, my brother helped me to move to LA (Los Angeles, CA). At the time, I always thought I would return to Mexico and eventually go back home."

Jose landed in Los Angeles, CA where he secured a job as a dishwasher in the ‘7 Mares' (7 Seas) Restaurant. After working there about 5 - 7 years, he met and married his wife, Maria, who was a waitress in the restaurant.

"When Maria and I met and started talking, I found out she had come from a town in Mexico just 2 hours from my home," said Jose. "Maria had two children when I met her. I loved her just the way she was and those kids became my step-kids."

Monica Martinez and Cesear Espinosa were soon joined by three other siblings James German, now 20 yrs; Gabriella German, now 15 yrs; and Paul German, now 11 yrs.

The German's ‘How We Got To Emmett' story began with their desire to move from L.A. in search of more "quiet, peaceful life".

"Maria's brother owned Chapala's Mexican restaurant, in Hailey, Idaho," shared Jose. "When we vacationed we always looked around for places and ideas. Chapala's was the #1 Mexican restaurant in Hailey. We moved to Hailey and really had a culture shock. In L.A. everyone spoke Spanish. Never in my life had I seen snow and these kind of little towns. Maria went to work for Chapala's and I decided to make a change."

Jose became a produce man for a Ketchum produce company where he worked for seven years.

"We were working different hours," said Jose. "It was so hard to be together. I was getting up at 5 am every day and Maria was sleeping. We had to make a change."

Jose continued, "We had a dream, a big dream. We wanted to start our own business. When we had vacation, we drove around the Montana area to Yellowstone, Missoula and even Salmon to look for a good place to open a Mexican restaurant. We didn't see a lot of Mexican restaurants so it would have been a good area but everything we too expensive for us."

For Jose, the trip was disappointing and they decided to keep to their budget and try again later.  It wasn't one week later that the German's got a call from the then-owners of the restaurant, Maria's, in Emmett, Idaho.

"The phone rang and a man said, ‘this is Ray, I own a Mexican restaurant I wish to sell' and all I could say is ‘where is Emmett'" said Jose. "I talked to Maria right away and we took off at 3 pm that day to get to Emmett by 7 or 8 pm that night. We made a deal. I didn't have experience but I had lots of enthusiasm and I was willing to work like a donkey."

Jose, educated to just a 6th grade level, worked along side Maria for 14 - 15 hours every day. According to Jose, his greatest business lesson was from an ex-boss and business owner who told him that in order to make it big, you must invest in your business.

"I didn't know what I was doing at first," said Jose. "But if you have a dream, and you are patient, and are willing to work hard, you will achieve your dreams."

Just before their three year anniversary, Jose was having doubts and the business had not made a profit.

"I was working all day, every day and we had not taken home any money," said Jose. "I went to the building owner, Ken McCord and asked if I could get out, I asked him to release me. He treated me like a son and gave me great advice. He told me he would release me but he told me ‘You are young and you can make it. You have to make it. Just keep on working.' In just about ½ year later we started to see income. I owe a lot to Ken (Sadly, Ken suddenly passed away last year)."

Jose and Maria are dedicated to their community, their business and their employees. La Costa has donated to countless local organizations notably the Emmett Town Hall Meetings were record attendance was achieved in part due to the free food offered, prepared by La Costa Mexican Restaurant. Numerous local and regional recognition, awards and citations can be seen on the La Costa walls.

"My business is like my wife," said Jose. "I have to love it. And, if something breaks, you have to fix it. If your business is taking care of you, you have to take care of it. I love my business so I fix it up and make it better. We are in a very visible location on a main road. It is our responsibility to make our business look better for the town, for the community. When I go to other towns and see how beautiful their buildings are and how much business they have, I want to do that for my community too."

"We honor our employees, too," said Jose. "I may be the ‘boss' but they are the motor. If it wasn't for their help we would not have a restaurant."

Jose and Maria wish to thank their loyal customers.

"The most important thing is that people are happy here," shared Jose. "I am proud of La Costa because when people are happy and they say such nice things about our restaurant it makes me feel like we did something nice. We are especially grateful to the people who have lived here for years and years who tell us how happy they are to see our building look so beautiful."

La Costa Mexican Restaurant is open 7-days/week from 11:00 am - 9:30 pm. They have an amazing variety on their menu and even have a few ‘gringo' dishes. They offer a full bar, banquet room seating 40 people and an all-you-can-eat buffet for lunch (11:00 am - 2:00 pm) and dinner (5:00 pm - close) every day.

La Costa is located at 517 N. Washington Ave. They can be reached at (208) 365-1567.

Jose and Maria German are certainly an asset to Emmett but more importantly they are most certainly beloved by their friends, customers and employees. Drop in to see Jose and Maria and thank them for their investment in the community, wish them happy anniversary and enjoy some terrific southern-style Mexican food or a margarita.