Popular downtown Mexican restaurant Hot Rosita's closes, goes on the market

Today's special: a popular downtown lunch spot for $35,000.

So reads the sign that hangs on the front door of Hot Rosita's Mexican Grill, a place where downtown workers went to grab a quick taco, burrito or a special with a cheffy twist. The restaurant is closed until a purchaser is found, said owner Arnie Casselbury.

Hot Rosita's opened in January 2010 and drew lines for its quick service setup and Southwestern-style fare. Casselbury and Chris Seeman purchased it in 2012. In 2013, customers could watch the action as The Amazing Spider Man 2 was filmed outside its front door, and the restaurant catered for the crew.

Casselbury, Seeman and John DeFazio launched the Hot Rosita's food truck in 2016, but the partners decided to sell the truck after just a season in business. While the endeavor was profitable, it was not lucrative enough for the number of hours — particularly during the late night — it required, said Seeman in 2017.

"It was a tough, tough industry for a little return," he said. “I feel like the market was way too saturated."

Casselbury said that the two partners had stepped away from Hot Rosita's in the past year to take other jobs, thinking the restaurant would run itself. That did not prove to be the case.

"The restaurant business is really, really, really hands on," he said. He returned to the business, closed it for a few weeks, and reopened in early January, announcing it would start serving breakfast. Ultimately, it was too late, he said.

Casselbury said he felt good about having succeeded for seven years, which is a relatively long span of time in the industry. His spirits have been lifted by customers visiting via the back door to tell him they enjoyed his food and wish him well.

"It's heartbreaking," Casselbury said. "I don't want it to close. I worked at this for a long time. When I was a kid, this is what I wanted."

TRACYS@Gannett.com