Over the objections of their sons, Pepe Ramos and his three brothers who co-own Azteca have chosen to break the company into four separate divisions, each one directed by a father and his oldest son.
The decision to reorganize Azteca came as a surprise to members of the next generation, who increasingly had been taking control of the company together as their fathers neared retirement. Mateo Ramos, in the meantime, has been stripped of his title as vice president of operations. According to members of both generations, the open generational split boils down to a dramatic difference in ambitions and goals: While the younger Ramos men are eager to make Azteca a national contender in casual dining, the fathers feel their inexperienced sons are moving too fast.
We want to run it like a family restaurant. The sons, in turn, express unusually candid doubts and mixed emotions about the wisdom of their fathers' decision.
The unconventional decision comes at a pivotal time, as the company has encountered increasing competition from national casual-dining chains such as the Olive Garden and Red Robin, even as Azteca plans for its own nationwide expansion. The Ramos men, like all families who must pass a business from one generation to the next, are discovering the wrenching reality of balancing the bottom line with family loyalties.
Though Pepe is the voice and force behind Azteca, the three brothers he brought to America to help found the restaurant chain -- Victor, Jaime and Hector Ramos -- are all personally invested in the chain's future, as ownership is split into roughly equal parts.
Each elder Ramos has one elder son who could presumably assume Pepe Ramos' role as company head. But the story of Azteca's transition extends well beyond traditional family business succession issues. It's heavily colored by the vastly different experiences of immigrants and their children.
The fathers grew up in rural Mexican poverty, scraped by as dishwashers and line cooks in America, and gradually built their business from scratch. The sons, by contrast, attended U. Said Pepe Ramos of the next generation: "They are so eager and real go-getters, but they don't have the experience.
We need to spend more time here watching them. Under any corporate arrangement, Pepe Ramos' role wouldn't be easy for the younger Ramos men to fill. The wealthy CEO rose from humble roots in Cuautla pronounced KWOT-la , where he witnessed his father laboring in the corn and bean fields each day from 7 a. When he heard that his childhood friend, Ramon Barajas, had started a Mexican restaurant in Seattle and would give him a job washing dishes, Ramos jumped at the chance.
He scrubbed dishes in the kitchen of Seattle-based El Tapatio, then graduated to a job as cook. After carefully hoarding his paychecks, Ramos partnered with Barajas in starting a restaurant called Torero's, which he and Barajas subsequently sold to fellow Cuautlan Ted Rodriguez.
Pepe Ramos then helped his brothers come to America, and in , the Ramos men founded the first Azteca in Ballard. Pepe's one sister, Lidia, helped out at the restaurants but never had an ownership stake. Those who grew up with Pepe Ramos in Cuautla aren't surprised that he became the leader of the largest local Mexican restaurant empire in the Puget Sound area. Though he calls himself shy and avoids making public appearances, his bashful persona masks deep intelligence, strong drive and a keen business sense, his fellow Cuautla natives say.
Since Azteca is not public, the company does not disclose detailed financial statements. About two years ago, the four founding brothers began to take a less active role in the company.
But after running a busy restaurant for over two decades himself, J. Thus the restaurant business was sold in April, to new owner, Jennifer. But wait! In fact, he still owns it and is the landlord of the Azteca location. His Elvis collection has remained in place and is still touted as "the largest west of the Mississippi".
It will continue to impress and entertain visitors to Azteca for many years to come. What about this new Azteca owner, Jennifer? That is a story for another day. Its story is as amazing as the people who work there. WRA had a chance to speak with Randy Thurman, Executive Director of Azteca Restaurant Enterprises, about what this long-standing business has witnessed in the last four decades. A: Well, first of all the history of this restaurant is remarkable.
While only in the sixth grade, Pepe had to leave school to help his father run the family store. He credits all the skills that have made this business a success — buying, selling, perseverance and treating people well — to those days working with his father.
Pepe came to Seattle in with no money and no English fluency. His story is characteristic of how many people in this business move up the ladder and achieve the American Dream. It was a lot of hard work. For two years he worked a 4 to 11 a. Pepe eventually earned the money to bring the rest of his family to the United States. His family went to work in the restaurant and helped him open additional restaurants.
Today the Ramos Family how a successful restaurant can be built on the theme of family loyalty and trust, that is still how they treat the 1, Azteca employees that have become an important part of the Ramos family. Well yes, and no. An interesting part of being 40 years old is that many of our guests have been coming to our restaurant for so many years.
They love what they get each visit; and in order to keep those loyal customers happy we have kept the core menu the same all this time. However, there are new trends we are embracing. More people are traveling the world, and as such they are experiencing different tastes and foods.
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