Join Modern Luxury and Tres Generaciones Tequila as we highlight Dallas’ most talented and diverse, restauranteurs, chefs, bartenders, and business owners.
“As a Latina, I am very fortunate to come across many different opportunities, and I immediately act on them, even when I don’t know where it’s going—the rest comes on its own,” says entrepreneur Michelle Avila, the owner of Frida Social Club, a restaurant, lounge and bar on McKinney Avenue with a bustling patio scene. She started her career in television, doing promo for the Latino MTV Tres, where she would spend a lot of time in restaurants and bars meeting with business owners. She thought, ‘well I could do this,’ and quickly rose up the ranks, cuting her teeth in management before becoming her own boss and business owner. In fact, kismet brought her to the Frida location. “I managed a restaurant in the same locat on that Frida is in now in 2013 and kept thinking, ‘I hope I can own my own place one day,’ and now I have that same spot,” she shares.
Avila herself was born in Chicago, but comes from Mexican descent, so the menu was easy to choose—tradit onal Mexican food, such as street style tacos or fried taco pirat tas, with a few vegetarian opt ons on the menu to appease her own palate. The cocktail program reflects her roots as well, blending regional fl avors expertly to create drinks with a cult following, such as the Hijo dela Guayaba, a sweet guava drink with fresh jalapeños. It is, of course, enjoyed best on days where the mariachis are out on the patio. As for what it’s like to run her first business—an especially busy one at that!—Avila says its all about surrounding yourself with good people. “I have a great team, and I think that is the most important thing,” she says. “They bring me great ideas and we work side by side to implement new concepts.” Avila has a second concept on the way soon, so it looks like this empire is only going up! Viva la Vida!
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