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• Author: Felix, Devin
• Position: Digital

On a busy night, the tables at Salsa Leedos Mexican Grill are often so filled with regulars that it takes owner Travis Bonino an hour to walk from one side of the place to the other. Along the way, he's sidetracked by conversation after conversation, but he wouldn't have it any other way. This is exactly what he wants his restaurant to be: a place of friendship. A place where everybody knows each other's name.

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Bonino says part of the reason people keep coming back to Salsa Leedos is that it's focused on being more than just a place to grab a bite to eat. The staff goes out of its way to make everyone feel welcome, he says. Some sort of event or promotion takes place at the restaurant almost every night, like free face-painting, military discounts or giveaways on Facebook. On a recent night, everyone named Sarah or Richard ate for free.

"My biggest goal in my business is to give back to the community," Bonino says. "We do a lot with the community, and in return it comes back times 10."

The food is also a big reason people return. Bonino says he tries to ensure that he uses high-quality ingredients and continually tries to improve the menu. When customers started requesting gluten-free options, Salsa Leedos put in work over two years getting to a point where they could make nearly every item on the menu...