By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

This spring, restaurant owner Jose Chavez has had a lot on his plate, operating a food wagon in Raymond while waiting for construction on a diner there, and also trying to open a second A La Mexicana Restaurant at a new location in Bridgton.

Now, Chavez is waiting for a state food inspector to come to Bridgton before he can start plating up authentic Mexican cuisine for the public.

“We are waiting on the food inspection license,” Chavez said, adding, “That is all I need.”

With the exception of the state food inspection license, all the other local and state permits have been approved.

“They have two inspectors for the whole state. So, I am just waiting. I am waiting for the food inspector,” Chavez said on Tuesday.

His standard answer has been “any day now” to people asking when A La Mexicana will open its doors.

“I hope it is going to be this month. I am guessing maybe this week the food inspector should show up. From there, I can say, ‘I am open,’ ” Chavez said.

The location of the new A La Mexicana Restaurant is the former Beef and Ski Restaurant off Portland Road in Bridgton. The business in that building was most recently known as Flanigan’s Roast Beef & Tavern.

The building in Raymond, which housed A La Mexicana for more than seven years, burned down in August. This winter, a diner was shipped from Ohio to Maine. The diner was purchased to become the new site of A La Mexicana in Raymond. However, adverse weather kept workers from making the diner operational.

According to Chavez, construction is continuing and the diner should be open in the next couple of months.

“We are hoping to be open in May or June. That’s under construction still,” he said.

For people who have a craving for Mexican food, the A La Mexicana food wagon offers a basic menu. It is parked in the lot between the Raymond Shopping Center and the Salvation Army Family Store.

“Yes, the food wagon is open,” he said.