Ed Nelson, left, and Willie Lata are pictured behind the counter of their new Mexican-American restaurant, Yo! Burrito, located at 522 E. Second St. in Jamestown. P-J photo by Gavin Paterniti

With a soft-marketing approach that entails a social media presence and good, old-fashioned word of mouth, Jamestown’s new Mexican-American grille has made a splash among community members looking for a fresh place to get a quick bite.

Only two months after officially opening to the public, Yo! Burrito, located at 522 E. Second St., has seen strong community support, consistent foot traffic and positive feedback from its customers.

The restaurant utilizes an assembly line “build your own meal” method seldom seen outside of fast-food or chain restaurants in the area. Customers can choose from dozens of menu options and a plethora of topping combinations as they navigate their way down the food bar with the help of a friendly and courteous staff.

While the restaurant specializes in Americanized Mexican cuisine, particularly burritos and tacos, there are several other options available. Also offered on the menu are a wide variety of sub, pizza and wing options, as well as Hershey’s brand ice cream flavors.

Co-owners Willie Lata and Ed Nelson, who moved into the new location in February and spent the ensuing two months feverishly preparing for its April 2 opening, said the first two months of business at Yo! Burrito have far exceeded their own expectations for the restaurant in its infancy stage.

“It’s been a good experience, and we’ve had steady business with a lot of repeat customers,” Lata said.

“For not having done any real advertising yet, it’s been unbelievable how well we’ve done so far,” Nelson said. “It’s been tough getting the building ready to go and maintaining our equipment, but people love our place and that makes it worthwhile.”

Lata and Nelson said the restaurant has done so well, in fact, particularly during lunch and dinner hours, that they are already considering renovations to the building to allow for more seating and standing room for when lines get long. With the warmer weather, the restaurant has been setting up an outdoor seating area during daytime hours, which has been well-received. The duo also stated a future goal of constructing an outdoor shed in the parking lot through which they would exclusively sell their ice cream.

“We’d also like to eventually be able to purchase the building and set up a nice deck outside for people to sit,” Nelson said.

Yo! Burrito is open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call 488-7443 or follow the restaurant on Facebook.