El’Moes Global Cuisine opened on Jan. 21 in the Bond Life Sciences Center. The business serves U.S. foods and daily specials from international cuisines, supported by a coffee and pastry selection. 

Its ownership is working with the University of Missouri’s Campus Dining Services to accept dining plan transactions, according to MU’s Deputy Spokesperson Travis Zimpfer. 

El’Moes began as a family-owned catering business in Columbia run by Moises Cortes, who has been cooking professionally for over two decades. Since the restaurant’s opening, Cortes has incorporated suggestions from researchers and faculty into the menu.

“One of the building coordinators is from Morocco, and he misses his food,” Cortes said. “He’s like, ‘This is just like my mom used to make.’ It strikes a chord when you can make people invoke memories like that.”

Cortes serves foods like al pastor and birria — which can take over a day to prepare — alongside their popular panini selection.

“The nice thing about [El’Moes] not being franchised or beholden to a corporate entity is that I can just do whatever I want,” Cortes said.

Cortes prepares batches of foods to be sold fresh when people are most likely to buy them, using sales data that has accumulated since El’Moes’ soft opening in December. As he develops the kitchen space, Cortes plans to bake his own assortment of pastries to stabilize and lower El’Moes’ prices.

For delivery orders, El’Moes does not have a delivery fee but does require a minimum purchase of $24 for breakfast and $30 for lunch and dinner. Customers can order a delivery using the restaurant’s website.

El’Moes does not currently accept MU Dining Plan transactions. If the business does begin accepting MU dining plan transactions, Cortes said he is uncertain the restaurant could afford reduced student prices.

“I am just a small startup, so it’s hard to compete with the prices we pay for food. Bigger entities get major discounts on bulk [purchases],” Cortes said.

Despite these concerns, Heather Tearney, a building coordinator for the Bond Life Sciences Center, said that one of the reasons El’Moes was selected for the café space in the building is because of the restaurant’s flexibility.

“[Cortes] is willing to adjust his menu to meet the needs of the people,” Tearney said. “We were looking for somebody that would add to this community and help support it.”

While Cortes takes menu recommendations from students and faculty, he also incorporates flavors from his Puerto Rican heritage to represent Caribbean Hispanic cuisine. Cooking dishes like arroz con gandules can introduce customers to ingredients that aren’t as prominent in mainland Hispanic cuisine and restaurants.

“Transferring all the Hispanic food that we make at home and making Hispanic people feel like they have a place to eat and belong is definitely a huge part of what we do,” said Kenz Cortes, Moises’s daughter, who works as a cashier at El’Moes. 

During their soft opening over winter break, scarce sales caused Cortes to grow concerned about the restaurant’s viability.

“The students came back and immediately it doubled in sales,” Cortes said. “It’s been growing every single day since.”

El’Moes daily specials and updates can be found on the restaurant’s Facebook page.

Edited by Maya Dawson | mdawson@themaneater.com

Copy edited by Amelia Schaefer and Natalie Kientzy | nkientzy@themaneater.com 

Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com