Rancho Viejo Opens on Pleasant Street

By Sean Mccarthy
Eagle Times Correspondent
CLAREMONT, NH — Restaurant Operator Everardo Lopez didn’t plan for a soft opening on Wednesday, Sept. 27, but seized the opportunity thanks to happenchance. He simply popped a sign out on Pleasant Street and let the grapevine do its work.

It worked in his favor.

“Everywhere I go so far everyone has been very nice and friendly,” said Lopez, who has three children under the age of 4.

Throughout the day, people trickled in to try some of the restaurant’s food offerings and specialty drinks. Menu items include chalupas, tacos and a large array of salads.

Lopez says everyone was helpful during the launch of his restaurant. It’s a family affair though.

“All three of my kids were born in Connecticut, they love the snow,” Lopez said, explaining how his family relocated to Claremont. Currently, his family is vacationing in Mexico.

In spring 2023 a group of investors with roots to the Mexican-style restaurant traveled to Claremont in search of opening another restaurant in New Hampshire. Lopez, along with his Kitchen Manager Hector Ramos and Jesse Guitron, who is still managing a restaurant in Idaho, searched around Claremont and found the Pleasant Restaurant was for sale.

Ramos has moved into the upstairs apartment above the restaurant with his wife, Paty, and his son, Junior. Both family members work at the restaurant. Paty is very cheerful and says she likes Claremont and the people she has met so far.

Longtime Claremont resident Brittany Hartford was hired back to help restore life into the new restaurant. Hartford was asked if she’d been brushing up on her Spanish speaking skills.

“I just don’t have the ear for foreign languages,” said Hartford, who was excited to once again be employed on Pleasant Street. She has two children at Maple Elementary School.

Lopez says the central business district people have been very kind and offered to host a formal ribbon cutting event. The restaurant opens each day at 11 a.m. and is open until 10 p.m. except for Fridays and Saturdays when the restaurant closes at 11 p.m. They are open seven days a week.