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Luis Negrete: "It's . . . to keep the word 'Mexico' in the minds of people." (Facebook photo)
The owners of La Dulce at 2 Washington Blvd. in the Crowne Plaza Hotel in downtown Detroit, had been contemplating changing the menu from Spanish-inspired tapas to Mexican food.
Then a powerful earthquake rocked Mexico City.
The next morning, the owners decided to scrap La Dulce's fall menu of Spanish tapas and make the change to become a full-fledged Mexican restaurant, writes Mark Kurlyandchik of the Detroit Free Press. They also decided proceeds from certain drinks and dishes would go to benefit earthquake relief efforts.
"The day of the earthquake, we spent the day trying to make sure our relatives and friends were fine," says co-owner Luis Negrete who is from Toluca, Mexico, and has family members in Mexico City, Puebla and Oaxaca — three of the most-damaged areas.
"They were fortunately OK, but communication wasn't easy."
The menu overhaul takes effect Thursday and will stay that way at least through the end of the year.
"It's not just the menu changing, but to keep the word 'Mexico' in the minds of people," Negrete explains.
"It might get to Christmas and many people [there] may still not have a home."
