Mikalino's Pizzeria recently celebrated its one-year opening anniversary in Los Ba&#241;os last month.</p><p>Owners Leo and Linda Mikha said while business has been refreshing and beneficial despite the economic crisis, "75 percent of the people in Los Ba&#241;os still don't know we exist," Linda Mikha said. "That's been our greatest challenge."</p><p>The owning team operates its original location in Dos Palos and hopes to open two more in the Valley within the next year.</p><p>"We had so much requests from customers wanting us to open a restaurant in Los Ba&#241;os," Mikha said. "It isn't ideal for them to drive to Dos Palos every time.</p><p>"And because Los Ba&#241;os is such a beautiful little city, it needed another restaurant; some more variety," she said.</p><p>In remodeling the "old stockman's bar," Mikha said she hoped the atmosphere would create a warm, happy feeling for customers.</p><p>"Every day we get such an influx of people saying how beautiful the place is and wishing they had known about it sooner," she said. "They're really shocked and don't expect to see such something so decent and pretty downtown."</p><p>Mikha said when first making the decision to move here, their landlord was eager for the transition.</p><p>"He was very motivated to have us in the building," she said. "The biggest thing is just letting people know that we're here. We're just so tucked in there; 90 percent of our customers are repeats."</p><p>Mikha said some of the changes the restaurant will be taking on in the next few months will include expanding operation hours, and adding new entr&#233;es and recipes.</p><p>"We're also thinking of possibly starting a jazz or comedy night," she said. "They're very positive ideas for us. We're talking with the team and things are looking good."</p><p>Right now the restaurant employs 10 staff members and Mikha said she anticipates adding more staff as business grows.</p><p>"We're continuing to grow each month," she said. "We have a billboard going up at the end of July, which is very exciting for us."</p><p>Mikha said what helps Mikalino's Pizzeria stay afloat during a time when the restaurant business may not be flourishing as it once was has been making "delicious food, having a clean and pleasant environment and friendly staff, and willing to accommodate the customer in every way we can.