The open space next to the Mariposa Community Center has had two restaurants in it so far, the last being The Point Grill, and now it will get another one.
A mom and her son, Francesca and Kellen Wilson, plan to open up a bar and restaurant, serving bar-style food, called the Screaming Coyote.
“We were bouncing around between a few and you know, the name, once you pick one, you can just run with anything. And we like that one. We wanted something that we could do a cool logo to put on pizza boxes and merch,” Kellen said.
The name’s inspiration came from the coyotes that roam around Rio Rancho at night and “scream.” Francesca and Kellen say it is a sound that can be chilling to newcomers but is a familiar sound to longtime residents in the northwest part of the city.
The restaurant will serve regular bar drinks and food but will not do any of its own brewing. Kellen says it will be like any other bar with pizzas, wings, sandwiches and other typical bar food.
“It will be a full bar with casual dining. We want to have decent food, but it’s not as important to us as getting the bar ready,” Kellen added.
Instead of typical servers, the Wilsons have decided to use a point of sale system.
Francesca says the addition of this restaurant will be different from other bar restaurants because it will be fully accessible to Mariposa residents.
“It is a local neighborhood bar and restaurant where you get the food you are used to,” she said.
Francesca added that they want it to be the kind of place where regulars go and get the same order.
“We just want to be the neighborhood place in Mariposa and northern Rio Rancho because that doesn’t exist right now,” she said.
Kellen added that Mariposa and some of northern Rio Rancho have to drive as far as 15 minutes out to get to a decent restaurant. The Wilsons say the Screaming Coyote would be within walking distance or a short drive from nearby neighborhoods.
“There are a lot of people out there that just want a neighborhood place where they can have something to eat, have happy hour and watch football,” Francesca continued.
She says they are open to hosting groups and parties as well.
Currently, the development of the restaurant is in its preliminary stages. Francesca says they have a permit from the city but need much more to get up and running. Part of that process, she says, is going to be revamping some of the space.
The building where the Screaming Coyote plans to open also has retail space available on the second floor.
The timeframe on when they will officially open has not yet been made clear.
