Less than six months after its groundbreaking ceremony, Jones County’s newest eatery opened its door to customers.
Surcheros celebrated its grand opening Sept. 24 with franchise founder Luke Christian in attendance, just as he was at the April 10 groundbreaking.
The founder was joined at the event by his parents, Ruth and Ralph Christian, and the ribbon was cut by the general manager of the Gray restaurant, Wade Christian.
Wade Christian is the nephew of Luke. The manager said his wife is from Jones County, and they recently purchased a home here.
Luke Christian addressed the crowd as the grand opening ceremony got underway. He noted that Gray is the 33rd restaurant in the franchise that will be celebrating 17 years in business this month.
“It’s an honor to be back in a small town,” the founder said and led an opening prayer.
Christian said Surcheros was happy to be in Jones County.
“We’ve got a good product. I know we’ve got great people, and we will continue to grow. We can’t do this without people,” he said. “This is a people business, that’s from the people who build it, to the people who are coming to eat and the people who work in it.”
The founder said the goal is to spread kindness and spread the word of the Lord.
Gray Mayor Ed Barbee read a proclamation recognizing Sept. 24 as Surcheros’ Day in Gray.
The opening drew a large crowd after putting out a post on social media that the first 100 guests purchasing an entrée would receive free burritos for a year.
Following the proclamation, the ribbon was cut, and food service began.
The Surcheros website states the restaurant began serving freshly prepared Tex-Mex favorites in 2007 in Douglas and quickly became a community favorite. It became a franchise in 2017 across South Georgia and Florida.
The restaurant moved its corporate headquarters to Alpharetta in 2022, and the franchise is currently located in communities in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
Surcheros of Gray is located at 615 Landmark Pointe and is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. More information is available on the restaurant’s app, Facebook page or online at surcheros.com.
