VIVA MERCADO'S - Key Persons

Bobby Mercado knows the value of friendship. Mercado's parents divorced when he was young, and even though he grew up with a traditional family structure, he said that same family wasn't always there for him later in life. While he prefers to keep some specifics of his past private, this much he would reveal: At an early age he gave up his dreams of college to support his siblings, and when he moved to Las Vegas, he had $5 in his pocket. But never one to dwell on the past, Mercado turned that $5 into one of Southern Nevada's premier Mexican food restaurants, Viva Mercado's Mexican Restaurant & Cantina, and he is raising a large, healthy family of his own. But Mercado said none of it would have happened were it not for the friends he's made during his time here. "I had a lot of help," he said. The original restaurant, tucked into a shopping center at the intersection of Flamingo Road and Jones Boulevard, was named one of Chile Pepper magazine's "30 Best Zesty Restaurants in the Country," as well as earning a five-star rating from the International Restaurant and Hospitality Bureau since 2003, Excellent Ratings by Zagat, AAA and Mobile Travel Guide, and has been receiving awards steadily every year. The original restaurant was relatively small, with 12 booths and eight tables illuminated by low-hanging soft-light lamps. A bar area provides six stools to enjoy a beer or play video poker, with five additional stools opposite those if space is limited. Green was the dominant color throughout, as evidenced by the tables, carpeting, trees and plants. Other local color was provided by hanging pinatas and wall-mounted ceramic masks and metallic suns. Sombreros helped to heighten the atmosphere. This theme is even more evident at the new location. Two photos of recent "Employee of the Month" winners hang by the entrance, as well as several youth soccer and Little League teams Mercado sponsors. While Mercado has been successful as a businessman, he said his ultimate goal is to pay back the respect and kindness he was afforded when he had nothing. "I want to be part of the community," he said. "It's my way of saying, ‘Thank you' for everything that I'm being blessed with. The restaurant is affording me a nice lifestyle and things I didn't have when I was a kid. I wanted kids to have nice things early on. Responsibility comes quickly enough."