The Real Reason There Are Two Baja's

Homemade Soup. Shrimp Salad. Philly Cheese Subs. Wings. Burritos. They have it all. No restaurant embodies Brown like Baja’s does. Why though, are there two Baja’s, affectionately known to some as little Baja’s and big Baja’s? The smaller, older one goes by the name Baja’s Tex Mex Grill, while the newer and larger one is called Baja’s Taqueria. However, most agree that these differences in name mean nothing; they are in essence the same. Or are they? Even more interestingly, why does the quality differ by so much? A Blog-conducted, non-scientific poll finds that 86% of respondents prefer Tex Mex to Taqueria. What could explain this disparity?There seems to be a variety of opinions as to why there are two Baja’s ranging from theories about the mafia to feuding families.When asked about the reason for the existence of the two Baja’s, Sophie Kuhl ’21 said, “that is the question that has pushed me closest to having an existential crisis.” However, not everyone is as enthusiastic as Kuhl. Michelle Zabat ’18 is a senior who, in her four years in Providence, has never visited either Baja’s. Zabat admitted to never having contemplated their odd and superfluous existence, assuming that it would make sense “if they’re both making money”. It seems that there is a variety of not only differing opinions, but also varying levels of enthusiasm over the two Baja’s. When asked why there were two, Aryaman Dutta ’21 put it succinctly, “because people are fat and don’t want to walk."According to Sabrina Arezo ’21, Baja’s was originally jointly operated by a married couple. Eventually a big fight developed out of an extramarital affair, and, when an empty spot opened up on Thayer, the wife grabbed it and opened up her own Baja’s. Now, according to Arezo, the story of Baja’s acts as “a modern day retelling of Romeo and Juliet” complete with feuding families and plenty of intrigue.A family feud–and variations of this theory–is one of the most popular explanations as to why there are two Baja’s heard around Brown. While this theory certainly does not skimp on drama, it doesn’t hold up well when confronted with some basic facts. If one walks into Baja’s Tex Mex, they will be greeted with a sign advertising and pointing to the other Baja’s. Is this sign just a poorly conceived attempt at misdirection? Is Baja’s trying to cover up a family feud with this sign that says everything is all right in the family? Maybe, or maybe not.Other theories, from those outside of Brown, are much less dramatic. Fernando Young is a Harvard freshman who recently visited Baja’s Tex Mex while visiting his friend Sophie Kuhl. When asked what he thought about the two Baja’s, Young pointed out that a lot of times restaurants are “overpopulated” which creates an “uncomfortable eating space.” Fernando thinks that Baja’s wisely chose to diversify and build two to “increase customer turnout” and make the eating experience “better and faster.”Ae any of these stories of infighting, laziness, or greed and excess true?Blog has the answer.Arlin has been an employee of Baja’s Tex Mex Grill for ten years. He assured Blog that all is well in the Baja’s family. There is no family feud and both are owned by the same owner.When asked why there were two Baja’s, he quickly explained that there is no sinister or dramatic reason­. Baja’s was just getting too overcrowded during lunch hours. Arlin pointed out that Baja’s is extremely popular everyday between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. and that Baja’s simply “could not handle everyone who wanted to eat” at that time. Additionally, when asked what the distinctions were between Tex Mex and Taqueria, Arlin admitted that they were essentially the same with “almost the same food.” So it seems then, that the story of Baja’s is resolved by a simple and modest reason; Zabat may have been correct not to care.Unfortunately, Sophie Kuhl did not find this answer suitable. “That can’t be it,” she said. “That’s so simple and so obvious. There must be something sinister going on, something else.” Images via, via, via