Cuban entrepreneurs expand restaurant chain into Florida

Alan López and Nairelys López opened their first Rumba Cubana restaurant in Palm Springs, Florida.

The couple, who emigrated from Cuba to the United States in 2001, moved their business operations from New Jersey to South Florida. This new location marks the first expansion of their restaurant chain outside of the New Jersey area. The couple built their business from the ground up.

Alan López began his career in the food industry by washing dishes in New Jersey restaurants, while Nairelys López studied accounting. They opened Rumba Cafe in Jersey City in 2004 before launching the first full-service Rumba Cubana location in 2009. They currently operate six restaurants in New Jersey and are preparing to open a seventh in Teaneck. The owners chose Palm Springs because of its proximity to Latino communities and its accessibility.

They purchased the property in the spring of 2025 and spent over a year renovating the space. To protect the business from rising commercial rents, the family follows a strategy of purchasing the properties they occupy rather than leasing them. The new restaurant serves traditional Cuban dishes like roasted suckling pig and imperial rice. Most dishes cost less than 25 dollars. The menu features cocktails designed by Loiver Hernández Crespo, including a guitar-shaped structure that plays music.

The owners stated that the move represents a way to bring Cuban traditions to a region where those customs remain active.