Cindy Avalos got through a challenging 2020 that as a restaurant manager meant overseeing thin staff doing the work of many as her industry struggled to survive with pick up and delivery orders.

For Avalos, it was a continuation of a career working in restaurants that started in her childhood in Harlingen, helping her parents with a Mexican food restaurant.

“I have it in my bones,” she said of working in restaurants. “I’ve done every job you can think of.”

In 2020, it was working as a manager at the Olive Garden in Harlingen. Before that, she worked in management with Buffalo Wild Wings. At both companies, she worked in every role, from cooking to waiting on tables. Her father, Miguel, also opened a second restaurant in Mercedes in 2020. The business would not survive that year, but Miguel still owned the building on 3rd Street in downtown Mercedes.

Cindy decided she would take it on, leaving her restaurant chain manager’s job in Harlingen to try running her own business. It was something Avalos had long envisioned and decided in the spring that 2022 was the year to make it happen. She did a redesign of her father’s old restaurant, creating “something cozy,” Avalos said. It’s a place where a diner can “relax and enjoy yourself.”

Her brunch/dinner-styled business – which she named Bliss – is unlike anything Mercedes has when it comes to restaurants. It’s the distinction she was seeking to reach.

“There’s not a lot of options in a smaller community like Mercedes but it has a lot to offer,” Avalos said. “I saw something here in Mercedes, and when the opportunity came about, I took it.”

Brunchy Delights

Dropping for brunch at the Bliss means taking a look down a list of tasty choices.

There’s salmon toast, smoked, with cream cheese, crushed red pepper and a boiled egg. Next on the menu list is salsa verde eggs benedict with Canadian bacon and “gooey mozzarella cheese.” The brunch nachos selection has a mixture of corn, black beans and salsa over a bed of crispy tortilla chips smothered in white cheese. It’s clearly not breakfast tacos from a local convenience store or huevos rancheros from her dad’s restaurant in Harlingen.

And it’s playing well. 

“Came for brunch,” said one customer, Derrick Magallanes who posted an online review. “If I can give them 100 stars I will, the customer service, food, everything is great! Hidden gem in the Queen City.”

The dinner menu is drawing similar reviews. There’s the ultimate Bliss burger with creamy pepper sauce, gooey provolone cheese and crispy bacon with crispy fries. Among the other choices are homemade chicken bacon mac and cheese, and homemade meatloaf with creamy mash potatoes smothered in thick brown gravy.

“Open face bliss burger with a side of brussels sprouts to watch the carbs,” wrote Daniel Mejia in an online review. “Best burger in Texas. Loved the chill music and relaxing chic modern environment.”

Avalos knows her way around a kitchen. The creativity of the Bliss menu reflects her years of experience working in restaurants and learning the ropes from all of the operational and production aspects. The same goes for how she designed the Bliss. It’s chic interior, as one online reviewers put it, has the feel of being elegant and trendy. Put it all together, and it’s what Avalos imagined her restaurant would look like.

“I love what I do,” she said. “I love the business and I’ve known it all my life; I love to cook and everything here is made from scratch and made fresh.”

Feeling Welcome

Avalos spoke of taking a liking to Mercedes and the welcome she has felt in the Mid-Valley city.

“The mayor has come by to eat here and to thank me for opening a business in Mercedes,” she said. “You appreciate that sort of welcome. Everyone here is so patient from a customer’s perspective as we prepare their dishes. It’s a treat for everyone that comes in. I think they appreciate having something like this here and not needing to go to Weslaco or Harlingen.”

From the start, Avalos as a young businesswoman knew she “could do this.” And now she has.