A place where food places open and close everyday

El Super Mollete! This place came and went. I would have liked to eat at a place where molletes are superheroes.

In the city of Agua Prieta, Sonora, Mexico, there is a food establishment that opens and closes every day. Not just opens and closes for the day, but opens for its first day of business, and closes for its last day.

It’s hard to keep up with how many restaurants pop up all around you in this city. At the end of dirt roads, between big grocery stores, next to gas stations. Opening a new eating place can be done by anyone and almost anywhere, seemingly overnight.

A lot of them are not what you expect. They are kitchens, literally, in homes with seats out in the front and Now Open signs. A restaurant can be just that. Tables and chairs in driveways. Menus painting on walls. People living inside, making your food while enjoying the evening novela.

These kinds of restaurants are here today and gone tomorrow. They are good, but like most small businesses, the odds are against them. Delicious food and friendly smiles are only two ingredients in a winning business formula.

A friend and I drive around Agua Prieta on Sunday nights looking for these places. Our goal is to try a new one each week. Most of them are named after their owners, like “Pancho’s Burritos” and “Pizza de Paolo.” There is a certain personalness to these locals. People are proud to open up a new food stand, or food truck…