WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Warner Robins has a brand new Tex-Mex food spot.
Surcheros, which got its start in Douglas, Georgia, opened its doors to a new crowd in Warner Robins on Tuesday, Aug. 20.
The new restaurant, located at 1277 South Houston Lake Road, had people camping outside for an opportunity to be one of 50 people to receive a free burrito for a year.
“We had told everybody, especially me, being a Middle Georgia native myself, ‘this is going to be so much fun, this is going to be crazy,"’ general manager Chris Grizzle said. "To see all the community really come out and support us the way that they did was really incredible.”
The Warner Robins location isn’t owner Kyle Culler's only storefront in Central Georgia. He, alongside his wife and eventually his two sons, opened and still run the Milledgeville location.
Culler’s son was originally the one who introduced him to Surcheros. His son introduced him to the location in Tifton, Georgia and they quickly fell in love with both the food, and, after meeting the founder and CEO Luke Christian, the company's values.
“His values aligned with my own values,” Culler said. “Just hard working people, running a great business focused on excellence, focused on friendliness of the guests, southern hospitality and just doing everything with excellence. That just resonated, and we wanted to be part of that.”
Grizzle, meanwhile, still remembers when the Cullers were first getting the restaurant put up. When construction was happening on Houston Lake Road, he joked with his girlfriend “you know what we need, a Surcheros.”
Ultimately Grizzle’s joke came true, and shortly after, he knew he had to put in an application for a restaurant he and his girlfriend love.
After applying, Grizzle and Culler got a chance to speak, and both said how quickly they aligned. They met over several meals, and, similarly to how Culler and Christian bonded, found how similar their values and beliefs are.
Surcheros Opening Gallery
“He shared his core values with me as far as what he dreams and hopes for the business and especially for his restaurants and our values lined up perfect,” Grizzle said. “I saw it as an opportunity. This is a growing brand, a new brand, but growing a ton. There’s a ton of potential here.”
Grizzle previously worked with Chick-fil-A in Warner Robins as an assistant director and helped them open new locations. He worked closely with Houston County Chick-fil-A owner Pat Braski and said that his new boss reminded him a lot of his old one.
“They share the same strive for greatness,” Grizzle said. “Both of them are consistently, always pushing themselves, pushing the business. They want to be the best they possibly can for the community around them.”
With other Tex-Mex restaurants in the Warner Robins area, both Grizzle and Culler said that what separates them is how fresh their food is, and their “southern hospitality.” They added that they make everything fresh daily.
“Guacamole that we make on site in the morning came in as avocados,” Culler said.
Grizzle recommended their burrito bowl with cilantro lime rice and chicken, while Culler said “you can’t go wrong” with their grilled burritos with grilled veggies. He also said that the burrito bowl or their tacos are great healthy options.
They also offer quesadillas, nachos and a wide array of vegetables and proteins to add to your customizable meal. For dessert, they also have a s'mores quesadilla, which is a tortilla filled with a s'mores filling and is finished with powdered sugar and chocolate syrup.
Alongside their food, the two also believe their overall service to the community and hospitality to them also sets them apart from the competition.
Culler said that he and his family are planning out expansion to Perry and can’t wait to continue to serve the Houston County community even further, and has loved doing so already
Grizzle, who went to Houston County High School, said that he knows how important the Warner Robins and overall Houston County area is to the people in it and is excited to be a part of the growing food scene in the area.
“I love the fact that we’re here to serve the community,” he said. “We’re here to serve the people in our community in any capacity. We’re already setting up a few ways for us to give back to our community. We’re really excited. We love this community. Kyle and his family… they can’t speak highly enough about the community. Neither can I, especially where I’m from.”