This Jalisco community has highest rate of kidney disease in the world

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January 13, 2020

San Pedro Itzicán, on the shores of Lake Chapala.

A small town on the banks of Lake Chapala in Jalisco has an unwelcome distinction: San Pedro Itzicán has the highest rate of kidney disease in the world, according to the United States Renal Data System.

Every family in the community of just over 5,000 residents knows at least one person with kidney disease, the newspaper Milenio said in a report published Monday.

Kidney problems have plagued residents of San Pedro and other towns in the municipality of Poncitlán for years and the majority of those afflicted have lost their lives to end-stage renal disease.

People aged five to 25 have been most affected by kidney disease, which has been linked to the presence of industrial pollution and pesticides in Lake Chapala and nearby rivers, and air pollution.

“This kidney damage doesn’t exist in the first or the second living generation but rather in the third, in other words, the grandchildren,” said Felipe Lozano Kastens, a public health research professor at the University of Guadalajara.

Environmentalist Lira blames pollution and poverty.

“This disease hadn’t been seen in the parents nor in the grandparents, it’s seen in this current generation,” he added.

The researcher acknowledged that people in Poncitlán have made use of the water in Lake Chapala for decades but contamination levels are much higher than they used to be. Lozano has tested blood and urine samples from residents during the past four years and discovered that many youngsters have high levels of pesticides and heavy metals such as mercury and tungsten in their systems.

“They play in the water, wash clothes in the water, water chayotes with the water and . . . they keep pesticides inside their homes. Everyone has pesticides in their urine but they have” much higher levels, he said.

Environmentalist Enrique Lira told Milenio that the United States research company K Prime Inc. detected 10 heavy metals in Lake Chapala and water wells in the area. Asked why residents of Poncitlán suffer from kidney disease in greater numbers than people in other municipalities near the lake, he responded:

“There is contaminated water in the public network of 90 municipalities in Jalisco but Poncitlán is the worst. The second cause is the lack of wastewater treatment, there is [a problem] in the entire [Lake Chapala] basin but Poncitlán is the worst municipality.”

Lozano said that poverty in communities in Poncitlán is also a factor.

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“Poverty is linked to a lot of diseases and these people seem [to be living in] Mexico of the 1950s. There is a lot of poverty and there are people who [only] eat twice a day, there are children who go to school without eating anything,” he said.

The researcher added that 60% of 70 children he examined in Poncitlán were suffering from malnutrition.

The condition can make children more vulnerable to kidney disease, said Héctor Enrique García Bejarano, head of the Department of Nephrology at the General Hospital of Western Jalisco.

One parent who lost a child to kidney disease is Aracely Solano, whose daughter died 17 years ago at the age of two. She told Milenio that the options to treat her daughter were limited because she was too young to receive dialysis.

“Even though she died 17 years ago, I’m not over it,” Solano said. “It’s not easy.”

Source: Milenio (sp)

Squash blossoms: stuff them, add them to salads or put them in a quesadilla

By

Janet Blaser

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January 13, 2020

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Stuffed squash blossoms: serve them as an appetizer.

In many countries, yellow squash blossoms are considered a springtime delicacy. Lightly battered or not, stuffed with a mild cheese, some fresh herbs and fried or baked, they can be eaten as an appetizer; their delicate squash flavor also lends itself well to almost every egg dish, particularly frittata. They’re also a pretty addition to soups and salads.

Here in Mexico, flores de calabaza (squash blossoms) are most traditionally used in quesadillas. In Oaxaca especially, they’re a standard addition to the most basic quesadilla recipe of mild-flavored Oaxacan cheese and a few of the fresh flowers, cooked inside a handmade corn tortilla and served with an array of salsas.

In Mazatlán, I can find these for four or five months a year at my local farmers market, where they’re sold in a bag of 20 or so for around 80 pesos. In the U.S. squash blossoms are usually from zucchini; here – at least in Sinaloa — they tend to be from those odd, squiggly green-and-white striped squashes called simply calabaza that I’ve never seen or heard of north of the border.

Wherever they’re from, squash blossoms are delicate and won’t last more than a day or two in the refrigerator after they’re picked. Wash them gently in a bowl of cool water and allow them to drain on paper towels, patting them a bit.

Another note: you can substitute requesón for ricotta; it’s almost exactly the same consistency and flavor. Find it fresh from a local dairy or in the deli section at the grocery store, where you can buy however much you want.

Squash blossoms are a standard addition to quesadillas in Oaxaca. bon appetit

Quesadilla de Flor de Calabaza (Squash Flower Quesadilla)

If you have a comal and know how to use it, you won’t need the directions here on how to make a quesadilla. Otherwise, read on. Use handmade corn tortillas if you can.

2 Tbsp. corn or olive oil
½ white onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Salt
2 oz. (about ½ cup) Oaxacan, Monterey Jack or other mild cheese, grated
8-10 squash blossoms, stems and stamens removed
4 corn tortillas

Heat oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, 10–12 minutes; season with salt. Transfer to a small bowl and wipe skillet clean.

Heat a tortilla in the same skillet or on a comal over medium-high until golden brown but not crunchy on one side, about a minute. Turn tortilla over and scatter a quarter of the cheese over half of the toasted side. Arrange 2 squash blossoms and some of the onion mixture on top of cheese and fold tortilla in half to create a half-moon. Press down on it lightly to help tortilla adhere.

Continue cooking, turning once or twice and pressing occasionally, until cheese is melted and tortilla begins to brown and crisp in spots (turn down the heat if needed), about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining ingredients. – From Bon Appetit magazine

Squash Blossom Frittata

12 eggs
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 medium zucchini, rinsed and cut into 2-inch-long julienne strips (about 3 cups)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1½ Tbsp. fresh thyme or basil leaves, minced
6-8 zucchini blossoms, pistils removed if desired

In a bowl, whisk the eggs. Add ½ cup of the Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste, and whisk again until combined well. In a 12-inch, non-stick or cast-iron skillet, sauté zucchini in 2 Tbsp. of the oil over moderately high heat, stirring until softened, Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a small bowl.

Add remaining 1 Tbsp. oil to skillet and cook onion and bell pepper over moderate heat, stirring until softened. Add garlic and fresh herbs and cook for 1 minute. Add zucchini and salt and pepper, pour in the egg mixture, and arrange the zucchini blossoms decoratively on top.

Preheat broiler. Meanwhile, cook the frittata on stovetop over moderate heat, without stirring, for 12-15 minutes, or until the edge is set but the center is still soft, and sprinkle remaining ½ cup Parmesan over the top. Broil frittata under the broiler about 4 inches from the heat for 2-3 minutes, or until cheese is bubbling and golden.

Let cool in the skillet 5 minutes, run a thin knife around the edge, and slide the frittata onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve warm or at room temperature. – From Epicurious magazine

Baked Squash Blossoms with Apple, Honey & Ricotta

1 lb. ricotta cheese or requesón
¼ cup honey
1 egg white
12-15 squash blossoms
Half an apple, shredded
1 whole egg, beaten with a tablespoon of water
2 cups fine sugar cookie crumbs, like Marías

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine cheese, honey and egg white, and then fold in apple. Using a teaspoon, carefully stuff the squash blossoms about half full with the cheese mixture. Twist top of blossom to seal. Brush each blossom with the egg wash, then roll in the crumbs and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until lightly browned and crisp. – New York Magazine

Savory Stuffed Squash Blossoms

12-15 fresh squash blossoms

1 lb. ricotta or requesón cheese

1 medium onion, chopped fine

½ cup toasted almonds, finely chopped

½ cup grated good Parmesan or asiago cheese

½ tsp. each salt and pepper

3 Tbsp. minced fresh basil

3 Tbsp. minced fresh parsley or cilantro

2 Tbsp. melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix together all ingredients except the blossoms and butter. Carefully stuff blossoms, being careful not to overfill. Arrange on cookie sheet, drizzle with melted butter and bake for 15 minutes. Serve immediately plain or drizzled with marinara sauce.

Janet Blaser of Mazatlán, Sinaloa, has been a writer, editor and storyteller her entire life, and feels fortunate to write about great food, amazing places, fascinating people and unique events. Her work has appeared in numerous travel and expat publications as well as newspapers and magazines. Her first book, Why We Left: An Anthology of American Women Expats, is available on Amazon. Contact Janet or read her blog at whyweleftamerica.com.

New medical university will offer degrees in medicine, nursing

By

Cody Copeland

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January 13, 2020

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Mayor Sheinbaum announces new medical school.

The newly founded Mexico City medical university has begun taking applications and will begin classes in June.

The new university will be located in the recently created fourth section of Chapultepec Park, to the south of the third section, in what was previously a military engineering school.

Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said the university is taking applications from aspiring medical students from all over the country.

“[The university] is primarily for preparatory school graduates from across the country who wish to return to their communities as doctors and nurses,” she said, adding that all students will receive scholarships and those from outside the city will receive housing assistance.

The institution will offer two degrees, family and community medicine and family and community nursing, and seeks to enroll 500 students for the first year.

Its educational services will be offered free of charge.

Source: El Financiero (sp)

New health service will not be completely free: health workers’ union leader

By

MND Staff

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January 13, 2020

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The federal government’s new healthcare scheme will not be completely free as President López Obrador claimed, says the leader of the national health workers’ union (SNTSA).

Marco Antonio García Ayala told the newspaper El Universal that the “main failure” of the government is that it didn’t properly inform people about the services that the National Institute of Health for Well-Being (Insabi) will provide free of charge.

“People have questions, governors do as well, even the hospitals [have questions],” the SNTSA leader said.

“The president has said that everything is free, that’s an information error. He declared that Insabi would guarantee free care starting this year and of course that’s not the case,” García added.

He urged the government to carry out a publicity campaign to inform the public how Insabi will operate and thus “avoid uncertainty.”

Some patients have already complained because they were required to pay for medicines and medical services that they were led to believe would be free.

García also said that federal authorities should meet with state governors to avoid the latter making negative statements about Insabi.

Governors of several states, including Aguascalientes, Guanajuato and Querétaro, have not yet signed an agreement with the federal government to eliminate the Seguro Popular program and replace it with the Insabi scheme, which is designed to provide healthcare to people not covered by the IMSS and ISSSTE social security plans.

The SNTSA leader said the governors who haven’t signed the agreement were within their right to refuse to do so if they didn’t receive timely and accurate information about the new program. García also said that states have a legal right to continue receiving federal resources for healthcare even if they don’t sign on to Insabi.

However, Insabi director Juan Antonio Ferrer Aguilar said in an interview published Monday by the newspaper La Jornada that Mexico’s 32 federal entities will receive the resources to provide free healthcare at primary and secondary facilities only after they have signed agreements with federal authorities.

Twenty-two health secretariats across the country have so far agreed to the implementation of Insabi, he said.

Referring to the clarification Insabi made last week that medical care is only free at primary and secondary healthcare facilities, and not tertiary-level, Ferrer said the 23 national health institutes and highly-specialized hospitals are not currently included in the Insabi scheme.

However, Insabi will sign agreements with the facilities later this year, he said, explaining that doctors there will continue to perform 66 complex surgical procedures free of charge and that treatment for 30 other conditions will also be provided without cost.

Probed about where the government went wrong in explaining the new healthcare scheme and why there were complaints from patients who had to pay for medical treatment, Ferrer responded that “a change always confronts resistance.”

“The legal reform [to create Insabi] is aimed at the people and not the financial issue, as was the focus of Seguro Popular. There was a trend towards privatization. Now it’s different, the participation of the state secretariats of health will be strengthened; they will have the resources . . . [they require]. They should ask us for what they need to function: equipment, medical personnel . . .There’s only one requirement – everything must benefit the people.”

The Insabi chief said that he would meet this week with officials from the states that have not yet agreed to the implementation of the new scheme, adding that medicine and personnel from the Médicos del Bienestar (Well-Being Doctors) program will be sent to the signatory entities.

The Insabi scheme, which has a budget of 112 billion pesos (US $6 billion) in 2020, “will be consolidated this year,” Ferrer declared.

Source: El Universal (sp), La Jornada (sp)

Bag ban brings renewed interest in traditional bags at Mexico City market

By

Leigh Thelmadatter

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January 13, 2020

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Alternatives to single-use plastic bags.

Traditional reusable shopping bags seem to be making a comeback in Mexico City, where a ban on single-use plastic bags went into effect on January 1.

The use of cloth and mesh bags, along with those affixed to contraptions that look like handtrucks, have always been a relatively common sight in traditional markets and popular with housewives in the city’s lower-class neighborhoods.

“We are returning to fiber and plastic reusable shopping bags. We have bags in different sizes that cost 15 pesos, along with [others] costing 10, 25, 40 and 45 pesos. They are washable and reusable,” commented a merchant at the Jamaica Market southeast of the city center.

In some stands, especially those selling spices and grains, the cucurucho is making a comeback. This is a sheet of butcher paper spiraled into a cone shape, twisted, filled and folded for carrying.

One very traditional shopping bag is that made of ixtle, a fiber that dates back to the pre-Hispanic period. It comes from the maguey plant, whose thick leaves are beaten to separate the pulp and liquid from the support strands that become the fiber. Depending on the age and size of the leaf, these fibers can be as soft as cotton or stiff enough to make brushes.

Most ixtle fiber is on the more flexible side and has a texture similar to burlap. Carrying bags of all kinds have been made from the material.

Although ixtle shopping bags are sold in the city’s traditional markets, versions in plastic fiber are more popular because they are cheaper and withstand getting wet.

At the Hidalgo Market in the working-class Doctores neighhorhood, such bags were common enough before, but are ubiquitous now.

Many supermarkets are promoting cloth bags with their logos as people are getting used to the idea of needing to bring their own bag.

Reaction to the ban weeks after its implementation seems to be positive. Comments from both merchants and customers in the city indicate an awareness of the need to decrease dependency on the bags, either enthusiastically or with resignation.

The city tried to implement mandatory garbage separation a few years ago, but failed. The reason was probably that residents have always seen garbage collectors separating trash for recyclables and did not see the need to do that work themselves.

Store owner Tina Chavez notes that customers are adapting to the need to bring a bag as they know that merchants are subject to stiff fines if they give out the plastic ones. The only exception to this rule is bags for meats and fresh produce.

According to environmental groups in Mexico, every family was throwing out on average 650 plastic shopping bags per year. Sometimes these bags, which need at least 100 years to completely decompose, were used only for a few minutes.

They also state that about 80% of the waste generated in the world is from disposables. By 2050 almost 100% of all marine birds will have ingested some kind of plastic, and 15% of endangered species will be affected by waste plastic, according to Marina Robles, the secretary of the environment.

Coming up in 2021 are laws banning the use of disposable plates, silverware, straws, and balloons. Even some street stands in Mexico have already started asking customers already to bring containers if they are asking for food to go.

Source: Televisa Noticieros (sp), El Universal (sp)

Sunflower season brings more magic to Mocorito

By

Cody Copeland

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January 13, 2020

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A visitor takes a selfie with Mocorito's sunflowers.

The Magical Town of Mocorito, Sinaloa, grows a little more magical in January and February with the bright blooms of its sunflower fields.

Mayor Guillermo Galindo Castro said the sunflowers, now in their second season, are a growing tourist attraction and welcomed the year’s first selfie-snapping visitors at an inaugural ceremony on the weekend.

“[It’s] a true blessing and marvelous ecotouristic experience that we have begun in our administration and we want to consolidate it as a heritage in all aspects, because we know the positive impact it has, not just for Mocorito but for the whole state of Sinaloa . . . he said.

State Tourism Secretary Óscar Pérez Barros agreed that the tourism generated by the sunflower fields, now a favorite destination on the Traveling Purely Sinaloa tourism program, will help revive Mocorito’s economy.

Pérez hopes the attraction will work in conjunction with Carnaval and Holy Week to attract over 60,000 tourists this year. The town welcomed 55,000 last year.

“[With] this type of strategy, but joining it with Carnaval and then Holy Week, the program becomes richer, so that more people [from Sinaloa] and other states visit the Pueblo Mágico of Mocorito,” he said.

To help achieve that goal, Mayor Galindo’s administration had two fields planted at different times to allow for two separate blooming periods this year.

“I believe that the experience we had last year . . . motivated us to improve the sunflower field and above all the strategy for attracting more tourists and visitors to Mocorito . . . On this occasion, we’re going to do it in two stages,” he said.

He added that the town is logistically ready to see more visitors, but still needs to develop more accommodations, for which his administration is working with the state Economic Development Secretariat.

The sunflowers bloom for two weeks. January’s bloom has already begun; the other field will bloom in February. Entrance to the fields is free, though visitors are asked to provide a small donation for enjoying the rows of bright yellow flowers.

Sources: Revista Espejo (sp), Línea Directa (sp)

Clash kills La Catrina, 21, suspected CJNG boss in Tierra Caliente

By

MND Staff

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January 13, 2020

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La Catrina, 21-year-old gang leader. — 21-year-old suspected gang leader La Catrina.

A 21-year-old woman suspected of being a leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) in the Tierra Caliente region of Michoacán was fatally wounded in a clash with federal and state forces on Friday.

María Guadalupe López Esquivel, also known as La Catrina, died in hospital after a gun battle with the army, National Guard and Michoacán state police in La Bocanada, a community in the municipality of Tepalcatepec.

The security forces came under attack by suspected members of the cartel led by Mexico’s most wanted criminal, Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, after dismantling a blockade at the entrance to the town.

López belonged to a cell of the CJNG identified by authorities as being responsible for an ambush on Michoacán police in October that left 13 officers dead and another nine wounded.

According to documents found in cartel vehicles that were seized after that attack, La Catrina was responsible for paying salaries to people who worked as halcones (hawks or lookouts) for her CJNG cell. She was also allegedly a sicaria, or killer, and involved in extortion and kidnapping operations.

Fernández, standing in foreground, and CJNG sicarios.

The daughter of a livestock trader and a housewife, López was reportedly a good student in her younger years in Tepalcatepec before developing a keener interest in attending parties rather than school.

“. . . She started hanging out with gangsters and got lost in drugs,” one local resident told the newspaper El Universal.

Another resident said she moved in with a CJNG member in 2017, stating that “she met a criminal asshole and he took her to live in Aguililla, where she started to work for M2.”

M2 is Miguel Fernández, suspected plaza chief of the CJNG in Tierra Caliente and one of seven alleged criminals, including López and another woman, who were arrested after Friday’s clash.

In audio recordings obtained by authorities, Fernández is heard ordering cartel hitmen to murder the state police officers on October 14.

He also issues a command for a narco-message to be left at the scene of the crime in Aguililla. One banner left by the aggressors said the police were killed for supporting rival criminal groups including the Caballeros Templarios and the Viagras.

Operating in several states beyond its home base of Jalisco, the CJNG is considered Mexico’s most powerful and dangerous criminal group. The cartel has increased its power and extended its reach in recent years, gaining significant notoriety in 2015 when its members shot down a military helicopter in southern Jalisco.

The United States Department of State is offering a reward of up to US $10 million for information leading to the arrest of suspected leader Oseguera Cervantes.

Security authorities in several Michoacán municipalities said in October that they had been made aware that El Mencho planned to return to his home town of Aguililla.

The kingpin wants to retire, be arrested or die in his native land, sources told the newspaper El Universal, adding that he intended to guarantee his security with “human walls.”

Source: El Universal (sp), Infobae (sp)

Paleontological, archaeological finds at airport deemed national security risk

By

MND Staff

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January 13, 2020

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Paleontological and archaeological discoveries at the site of the new Mexico City airport will not be made public on the grounds that releasing information about such finds would compromise national security.

In response to a freedom of information request, the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) told the newspaper El Universal that it signed an agreement with the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena) in August. It requires both parties to reserve information about the discovery of fossils and archaeological relics at the site of the Santa Lucía airport, currently under construction by Sedena at an air force base north of the capital in México state.

The agreement contradicts a pledge made by President López Obrador who said in October that all information related to the construction of the Santa Lucía airport will be made public.

Clause 16 of the agreement states that INAH and Sedena are bound to reserve details about paleontological and archaeological discoveries in accordance with Articles 110 and 113 of the Federal Law of Transparency and Access to Public Information.

The former article says that reserved information can be classified as that whose publication compromises national security, public security or national defense. Article 113 says that confidential information can only be accessed by the heads of the departments that generated it, their representatives and authorized public servants.

Clause 16 of the INAH / Sedena agreement also states that the two parties “will assume the responsibilities” determined by the relevant authorities if they fail to comply with their commitment to keep information about paleontological and archaeological discoveries secret.

The agreement stipulates that Sedena is responsible for responding to freedom of information requests about such finds after consultation with INAH.

Despite the two departments commitment to keep information secret, El Universal said that INAH was able to reveal that relics of the Teotihuacán culture have been found at the Santa Lucía site.

The pre-Hispanic city of Teotihuacán, now a popular tourist attraction featuring two enormous pyramids, is located approximately 15 kilometers southeast of the airport’s location.

INAH said that pre-Hispanic pots and other ceramic remains dated to the period between 200 and 650 AD as well as fragments of stone artifacts were found in the area where the airport’s central runway will be located. The finds are currently being analyzed by INAH experts.

Excavations carried out at Santa Lucía since 1956 have also unearthed fossils of Pleistocene-era fauna, including mammoths, saber-toothed cats and camelids.

Source: El Universal (sp)

Boeing 737 becomes a library in Mexico City

By

Cody Copeland

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January 13, 2020

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Young people in the Mexico City borough of Iztapalapa can now let their imaginations take flight at a new library built into a converted airplane.

Part of the borough’s “Utopias” cultural program, which aims to transform public spaces in the notoriously unsafe neighborhood, the Boeing 737 houses 26 internet-connected computers with which readers can access 25,000 titles.

The library also has a collection of printed books for children and young people, audio books and a semiprofessional flight simulator. Another 40 computers will be installed in facilities outside the plane and there will also be free wifi.

In addition to this 230-book collection, which will gradually increase, readers will also be able to access titles digitally in PDF form and audiobooks both online and on CDs.

Iztapalapa Mayor Clara Brugada Molina announced the opening of the library, called Volando a la Utopía (Flying to Utopia), in a tweet on Sunday.

“When we bet on reading and books, we bet on knowledge, education, science and culture; we invest in the present, but build for the future. #VolandoALaUTOPÍA aims to bring children and young people closer to discovering the world through words,” she said.

Brugada hopes the library will revive a part of the borough that was previously a hangout for people using drugs and alcohol.

“We want all girls and boys to come and read at the #AirplaneLibrary and want the community to appropriate this space,” she said in another tweet.

She also announced the development of a boat library, which will have 30 “cabins” made from repurposed shipping containers, currently under construction in another part of the borough.

The airplane library is not a new concept. A converted Boeing 727 has served as a library in Ciudad Hidalgo, Michoacán, since 2018.

Source: El Financiero (sp)

Sonora Grill to expand in Mexico, enter United States market

By

Cody Copeland

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January 11, 2020

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Mexico City-based restaurant operator Sonora Grill Group has big plans for expansion in 2020 and beyond.

The company, which started as a taco restaurant in Mexico City’s Del Valle neighborhood in 2004, plans to increase its presence in Mexico by 50% this year and is aiming to enter the U.S. market by 2022.

Founder and CEO Ricardo Añorve said the company plans to open 15-20 restaurants in 2020 with an investment of around 800 million pesos (US $42.6 million).

He said the growth will be through all of the group’s brands, which include Sonora Grill, Sonora Grill Prime, Parrilla Urbana, Terraza Stella and Holstein, as well as Fisher’s, a seafood chain that the company is now developing.

The number of openings in 2020 will be the largest in the group’s history. In 2019, the company opened six outlets in Mexico and signed a deal to develop the Fisher’s brand.

Añorve says the goal is not only to continue to expand in Mexico, where there is a good market for grilled meat, but out of the country as well, for which they are looking for alliances.

“We have talked about having alliances with an [investment] fund that can help us grow the company more rapidly and even export the brand. We really like the United States because it’s a place that eats meat and likes Mexican stuff, tacos, meat and Mexican wine. It’s a market that is very interesting to us and we’re now looking toward it,” he said.

The company is already carrying out market studies in the United States and plans to break into the market there with the help of a U.S. restaurant operator.

The brand is aiming to break into the restaurant markets of Texas and California, markets that are good due to the presence of Mexican populations and influence.

“We also like Chicago, Nevada and other markets for growth,” said Añorve, who hopes to open the brand’s first unit in the United States in 2022.

Some U.S. restaurant operators are thinking of going in the opposite direction, bringing concepts to Mexico. Such is the case with Hema Group, which is planning on bringing the Arby’s fast food chain south of the border.

But the short-term forecast for the U.S. restaurant industry isn’t looking good according to some measures. A survey of credit cardholders carried out by Capital One revealed that 71% are considering saving money, for which 51% plan on reducing how much they spend eating out.

Still, according to a study by real estate brokerage firm CBRE, the U.S. restaurant sector has maintained positive growth rates in recent years thanks to technological advances in food delivery services and ghost restaurants (delivery-only establishments). In 2018, the sector grew 6.3%, its biggest growth rate since 2015.

Source: Expansión (sp)