Meet Maria Larios | Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Maria Larios and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maria, what do you attribute your success to?
I believe that the most important factor behind the success of Catalina’s Diner is the family atmosphere and community involvement we have established over the years. We love to support our first responders, schools, and various organizations around town.

What should our readers know about your business?
Catalina’s Diner opened its doors in June of 2014. It is very much a family-operated business. My siblings, my dad, and I worked in this very same building for years before taking over. There were many trial and error experiences with operating hours, menu items, management system options and even POS systems. When we first opened, orders were taken with a pen and paper, totals were added with calculators, everything was very old school.
The year 2020 was probably the hardest year so far. We lost our father in January of that year and shortly after we were forced to shut down in person dinning due to the pandemic. It was a very difficult time emotionally, physically and mentally. Thanks to our community our business survived without any loans or federal aids, just the support of our community. We modified hours, prepared everything for take-out and did deliveries all around the county and neighboring cities. It was a true blessing to see so much support form everyone around us.
One of the reasons Catalina’s Diner stands out is because of the vast variety of options we offer our customers. Breakfast is served all day, we have pasta, pizza, sandwiches, salads, burgers and a couple Mexican items, many of the food items are made in-house from scratch. The cozy atmosphere and cleaness of our establishment is something we are often complimented on.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Elizabeth, Colorado is not very big, but one of the top places I’d make sure to visit would be The Elizabeth Brewing Company. I love their beer and the atmosphere. The Friday Night markets during summer also in Elizabeth are a blast, with live music and local food trucks and vendors. I would also swing by Small Town Mini Donuts and pick up a coffee at Cowgirlz Cofee Company.
Casa Mariachi in Parker, Colorado is a must when friends and family visit. The food is good and the service is outstanding every time.
Another great place to eat is Cuba Cuba in Castle Rock. The food is delicious and the vibe is great.
El Cerrito Mexican restaurant in Franktown has great food.
B&B Cafe in Castle Rock is a good little breakfast spot.
Fritangas in Aurora has amazing Mexican food.
Jacs in Elizabeth and Binos in Kiowa are my go-to pizza places when we (Catalina’s) aren’t open.
The Manitou Incline in Colorado Springs is great or the Castle Rock Incline. Catching a comedy show at the Denver Improv is always a good time. Visiting the Denver Museum of Nature and Science is fun, especially if you’re visiting with kids.
Red Rocks is a nice place to visit even if it’s just to take pictures and walk around.
Cheyenne Mountian Zoo is fun and so beautiful.
A drive to the mountains is always beautiful just not in the middle of a snowstorm.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The biggest shoutout goes to the amazing team that hustles with me. Every single person plays an important role here and I couldn’t do it without them. Armando, Hector, and Javier are my older siblings; and have dedicated over a decade of their lives running this place. Jessica and Kyah have been here since day one as well, they have been a huge part of creating a welcoming and family-oriented business. All my team new and old deserve a lot of credit. Our community, our customers and those special individuals who have menu items named after them also deserve credit in forming who we are as a business.

Website: https://www.catalinasdinerelizabeth.com

Facebook: Catalina’s Diner