A few weeks back, Nacho Mama’s launched a social media campaign posing a pivotal question to the community: “Where do you want your Nacho Mama’s?”
Sparked by a heated lease dispute between the owners and their landlord, the query has since prompted the use of hashtags like #KeepitintheCity, videos of patrons at the bar raising their glasses and chanting “Stay in Canton,” and tons of feedback suggesting that the Tex-Mex hangout belongs in the neighborhood that it helped build.
Now, the restaurant’s loyal customers can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Nacho Mama’s future in Canton is secure.
At a meeting earlier this afternoon, owners Jackie McCusker and Phil Gelso were able to reach an agreement with their landlord John Koukides on the terms of a new lease, which is slated to begin in August of 2016.
“We’ve been on the square for more than 20 years,” McCusker said in a press release. “Having to leave our home doesn’t feel right to me, our staff or our long-term loyal guests. Being able to stay where we are and do what we do is cause for celebration.”
The statement also reveals that input from Canton Community Association president Sean Flanagan had a serious impact on reaching the consensus.
“Sean’s passion and commitment to Canton and its future was a critical factor,” McCusker adds in the release. “He was instrumental in our negotiations and I don’t believe we would have come to terms without his involvement.”
Originally, the parties were at an impasse regarding Koukides’ demands, which included Nacho Mama’s moving to a vacant building nearby and transferring its liquor license to his name. Although details on the terms of the new lease are currently under wraps, Koukides agrees that the decision will benefit the entire neighborhood.
“I am pleased that Nacho Mama’s will remain in Canton. I am happy we reached a mutual agreement for the benefit of all parties involved, including the Canton neighborhood,” he said in a statement. “We are excited about the future of O’Donnell Square.”
This, of course, maintains the legacy that former Nacho Mama’s owner and Jackie’s husband, the late Patrick “Scunny” McCusker helped build when he opened the restaurant in 1994.
“When I first opened, a guy asked me why I put a Mexican restaurant in a Polish neighborhood,” Scunny told us in 2012. “It’s grown from that old-school working class feel to a place where people are settling down with their kids and raising families. I have original customers of mine bringing in their grandkids now, which is a testament to the fact that people don’t just live here, they stay here.”