VIRGINIA BEACH – After sitting empty for a number of years, the former Applebee’s location at 1756 General Booth Blvd. is finally getting a new occupant: Gran Maya Mexican Grill will open for business there this fall.
Gran Maya is a project of the Perez family, which owns and operates six 3 Amigos Mexican Restaurant locations in the region, three of them in Hampton Roads.
Owner Omar Perez said the menu at Gran Maya will be similar to that of 3 Amigos, offering a little bit of everything in the way of authentic Mexican-style food and drinks the family has developed in the last 20-plus years.
“It’s a busy area that continues to grow,” Perez said of the General Booth location, which is nestled between the busy intersections of Dam Neck to the north and London Bridge just to the south. “Our customers (at 3 Amigos) have always recommended that area.”
The restaurant will initially employ 20-30 people. More will be added if needed, Perez said.
Gran Maya will offer a family atmosphere and be open seven days a week: Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., with Friday, Saturday, and Sunday hours still to be determined.
The restaurant will fill one of the two former food locations that are vacant on that stretch of General Booth. The other empty building was occupied by Jake’s Smokehouse Bar-B-Que, which closed its doors just a couple of months ago.
