Raul Briseno Jr. and sister Alexandra Strohmaier stand behind the counter of what was their father’s first restaurant in Wauconda. The pair are opening “Raul’s” in their slain father’s memory at the same Wauconda location he opened his first eatery.
The children of a man gunned down in an infamous crime almost 21 years ago are opening a Mexican restaurant in the same Wauconda location where they spent most of their time with him as children — his original Raul’s Burrito Express.
Alexandra Strohmaier, 27, and Raul Briseno Jr., 33, both of Algonquin, are the children of the late Raul Briseno Sr., who came to the U.S. from Mexico in 1987 at about 21 years old with $100 in his pocket, a new bride and a dream.
In 1993, thanks to a $30,000 loan from a friend, two partners and a collection of authentic Mexican recipes, he opened his first restaurant, Raul’s Burrito Express, at 112 E. Liberty St. in Wauconda.
He would go on to own three more restaurants and help several of his 11 siblings move to the McHenry County area and open their own. Today, there are eight restaurants in and around McHenry, Lake and Cook counties owned by Briseno family members.
Continuing on with their father’s vision, recipes, use of fresh ingredients, attention to detail and a “quality over quantity” approach, the siblings hope to open “Raul’s” at the Wauconda location by April.
“Opening this restaurant means keeping my father alive, keeping his memory alive,” Raul Briseno Jr. said.
It will cost about $100,000 to replace the kitchen equipment, decorate and meet the building codes required by the village, the siblings said.
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Raul Briseno Jr., a married father with an infant son, said he quit his job at a Schaumburg car dealership to devote all of his time to opening and running the restaurant.
It has been challenging, he and Strohmaier said, but they have been surprised by the kindness of some of their father’s old friends. Many have stepped up unexpectedly to help find necessary items such as freezers, grills, prep tables, and pots and pans at affordable prices.
One of their father’s friends sold them multiple sets of tables and chairs for $500, knowing they could have cost at least $17,000, Strohmaier said.
“It was definitely a blessing,” she said, adding that there have been many such blessings along the way. “I really felt like my dad was saying, ‘I’m going to put people in your place so your paths cross.'”
“It felt nice (that) they cared enough to take care of us like that,” her brother added. “When they were dealing with us, it was like they were dealing with our dad. Like we were buying our first tables and chairs with our dad by our side — like he was there with us.”
Strohmaier and Raul Briseno Jr. can recall memories of when they were young children and their father and mother ran the restaurant.
“We spent more time at that restaurant than we did at home growing up,” Briseno Jr. said. “My dad used to run to the back (of the restaurant) and have me roll up his sleeves.”
Their father, whose life plan was to work every day as hard as he could and then retire at age 50, was killed March 6, 2001, in a botched robbery at his McHenry Burrito Express restaurant. He was 36.
The tragedy would take the Briseno family on a yearslong journey through the court system, looking on as Kenneth Smith, formerly of Park City, was convicted of murder and sentenced to 67 years in prison three times.
But Smith, who denies being present the night of the fatal shooting, won on appeal each time and eventually was released in May after serving almost 20 years in prison.
Prosecutors at the McHenry County state’s attorney’s office stand behind their case and are petitioning the U.S. Supreme Court to hear their appeal challenging Smith’s release.
Jennifer McMullan, accused of being the getaway driver, also has been released from prison. Two other men convicted in connection with the slaying have completed their sentences.
In 2008, one of Raul Briseno Sr.’s siblings took over the Wauconda restaurant. Raul Briseno Jr. said it always was his plan to one day take back the restaurant. His uncle closed the business last year and opened Alonso’s Burrito Express down the street.
The restaurant and the Briseno family have been well-known in the community for decades and supported by local residents, such as former Village President Lincoln Knight.
“Their dad was a good man and brought a great restaurant to the area,” said Knight, who now is Wauconda Township supervisor. “He always tried to help people by providing jobs in the area.”
The siblings said they look forward to sharing what their father created for them with their children for years to come.
Strohmaier said because she has only faint memories of her father and the restaurant — he was killed three days before her 6th birthday — the experience of opening Raul’s has given her “a chance to connect with him.”
“(I’m connecting) with the experiences he went through with what I am going through now,” she said. “So without him being here, it feels like I get to know him more.”
She also sees opening the restaurant as a way of providing security for her three children, ages 7, 3 and 4 months. She wants them to have what she and her brother had as children and the memories they have, “like capping the salsa or getting the ice.”
“Opening the restaurant allows me to give my son the same quality of life our father gave us,” Briseno Jr. added. “Opening the restaurant in the same place, space is very emotional, and it’s like bringing our childhood back to life. It’s like bringing his dream back to life.”
