Nearly 40 years ago, three friends (and probably some shots of tequila) led to a brilliant idea – to share fresh, Border-style food and delicious margaritas with the world.
And so On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina was born, and it has since come a long way – so far that it’s grown into the world’s largest Mexican casual dining brand. Now, On The Border is taking it back to the 1980’s with the debut of its new prototype that pays homage to the brand’s first design and renowned experience.
On The Border North Point, located at 10575 Davis Drive in Alpharetta, reopened as the brand’s first restaurant to feature the all-new prototype.
Featuring a palette of white adobe and rustic colors, longtime guests will immediately recognize the difference with warm colors balanced with colorful Mexican features. With new chairs, tables and barstools, the revamped restaurant boasts an upgraded bar look and feel. Artwork inspired by the brand’s heritage transports guests to On The Border’s roots. The brand even enlisted the same artist who first created a cowboy painting for On The Border’s original restaurants to make more to go on the exterior of updated locations.
Acting as a test prototype, guests’ responses at the Alpharetta restaurant will determine On The Border’s next steps in developing future locations.
“We are on a mission to re-image On The Border and take guests back to our glory days,” said Chief Real Estate Officer Mike Wood. “After almost four decades of learning and growing, our company has decided it’s time to go back to what first brought people to our brand – and that includes offering bolder-than-ever Tex-Mex food and pulling together design elements that are inspired by On The Border’s legacy. By updating our prototype to look more like our first locations, we hope to remind people of how great the food, atmosphere and experience was and continues to be today.”
On The Border’s new design is part of an overall brand enhancement to improve the guest experience. To showcase bold new flavors, On The Border has elevated its menu, and the innovative new dishes will be available for guests visiting North Point.
On the ordering side, the brand improved its signage for to-go orders and is also planning to leverage technology with the rollout of a new online ordering system. In addition, On The Border will launch a new Rewards program and an app that allows guests to track points for every visit.
“North Point is our first location in years to get a revamp, and we’ve been focused on finalizing this new design for a while now, so we’re thrilled to see it come to fruition in Alpharetta,” Wood said. “This test prototype is the beginning of a journey in which we continue to refine our design and get it just right for our guests. Everything about On The Border’s original building balanced both Texas and Mexico’s culture but with a real sense of fun adventure, and that’s what we’re striving to emulate once again. We can’t wait to receive feedback from our fans.”
To help bring its sizzling food and tasty margaritas back to Alpharetta, On The Border has hired nearly 50 team members and is seeking more outgoing individuals to join the brand. To apply, On the Border has made it easy, interested individuals can text OTB 68 to 85000.
As always, On The Border’s top priority is the health and well-being of its guests, which is why its restaurants have reopened under a “People First” program with the most enhanced level of standards that involve processes implemented to ensure a safe environment for its guests. To view the full list of On The Border’s new safety standards, visit ontheborder.com/events/open.
