This Mexican restaurant closed its original Centre County location. Here’s why
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Lupita’s Authentic Mexican Food is closing its State College Uni-Mart location.
- Ownership cited staffing troubles and rising costs as key factors behind closing.
- The family-owned restaurant will continue operating in downtown State College.
A family-owned Mexican restaurant is closing its original Centre County location.
Lupita’s Authentic Mexican Food will centralize its operations in downtown State College and close its longtime location at the Uni-Mart at 3180 W. College Ave. The closure, effective immediately, arrives shortly before the Lupita’s Uni-Mart lease expires at the end of the year.
In a statement on Facebook, Lupita’s said closing the Uni-Mart location and choosing not to renew the lease “does not come easy.” The restaurant cited rising costs, staffing issues and increased traffic at the nearby Sheetz as key factors behind the closure.
“With the lease coming up, it just made sense to bring our team together downtown,” Lupita’s wrote on Facebook. “There, it give[s] us the best shot to keep serving you strong, and we didn’t want to miss out on that momentum.”
Lupita’s said it plans to move its Uni-Mart employees to the downtown State College location at 312 W. Beaver Ave.
“Thank you for taking something so small and turning it into more than we ever imagined!” the restaurant wrote. “We can’t thank this small-town community enough. We truly love the valley and want to continue serving all family with our downtown store.”
Lupita’s got its start in State College by opening the Uni-Mart location in 2019 behind the vision of María Guadalupe Rojas Orozco, who grew up in Mexico and developed a passion for cooking while preparing meals in her small village. She later moved to the U.S. and opened Lupita’s, which she described at the time as serving “authentic fast food.”
Lupita’s quickly expanded by opening a location in Milesburg in 2021 and founding another in State College in 2022. The Milesburg shop has since closed, leaving downtown State College’s restaurant as the lone Lupita’s in operation.
The restaurant’s wide-ranging menu features tacos, tostadas, tamales, quesadillas, empanadas, gorditas and more, plus a few options for children. Most menu items are customizable.
Downtown State College’s Lupita’s is open daily from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. You can follow its Facebook and Instagram pages to see daily specials and read updates on its operations.
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