Interview: El Jalisco Mexican Restaurant – Florida Dreams a Reality
The successful El Jalisco Mexican Restaurant chain in Florida is truly a family affair. We had the pleasure to speak with the matriarch of the family and co-owner of El Jalisco Mexican Restaurant, Rosa Torres Sanchez. In 1996, Rosa’s husband, Jesus Carranza Quintero, later joined in 1997 by their two eldest sons, was the first of their family to arrive to the United States. Rosa stayed in Mexico with their other seven children until 1998 when she and their five youngest children joined the rest of the family. With the family reunited, Rosa wanted nothing more than to create their own version of the American Dream.
When Rosa first arrived, she worked on a farm, cutting tobacco and gladiolus flowers while Jesus worked at a Mexican restaurant called La Fiesta. When the owners of La Fiesta needed a line cook for their newest venture in Marianna, FL, Jesus went with them. After several years of hard work, in 2001, Jesus was presented with the opportunity to purchase La Fiesta in East Point. With the help of a nephew, Jesus was able to purchase the business, and Rosa and her eldest children joined him in running it. After a very successful first year, they re-named La Fiesta to El Jalisco Mexican Restaurant and just a year after the name change, opened a second location. In the years that followed, they opened several more locations, until 2016 when they opened their last location.
In an industry where 80% of restaurants close within their fifth year of business, El Jalisco Mexican Restaurant’s success is undeniable and is in no small part due to their core values of respect and family first. According to Rosa, their success is owed to the tremendous effort of her entire family, who came together with hard work and a shared vision for the future. This shared vision centered around ensuring that their customers felt at home in their restaurants, as if they too were part of their large and loving family. During the pandemic, Rosa shared that they quickly embraced to go orders, and didn’t see a very large loss in sales. Most importantly, they were able to keep every single one of their employees employed. This loyalty to their employees and customers is reflected in the fact that several of their cooks have been working for the family for over fifteen years.
When we asked if they would go back and change anything, Rosa explained that even though nothing came easily, they worked hard, and made every decision with the same dedication they’ve maintained since the beginning, therefore, they were prepared when the opportunities came. Rosa’s advice for someone getting into restaurant industry would be to “prepare for the long days of work, have a healthy respect for both employees and customers alike, and have a positive attitude towards everything and everyone.” By treating their employees and customers with respect, Rosa and her family have achieved the American Dream they envisioned and worked so hard for.
Congratulations to Rosa and her family of nine children, thirty grandchildren, and one great-grandchild!
Visit our website at https://www.eljalisco.com or any of their Locations:
El Jalisco Mexican Restaurant Blountstone 850 674-3411
16919 Pear St. NE Blounstone, FL
El Jalisco Mexican Restaurant Eastpoint 850 670-5900
260 US-98 Eaatpoint, FL
El Jalisco Mexican Restaurant Panama City 850 481-0909
766 W. 23rd St. Panama City, FL
El Jalisco Mexican Restaurant Destin. 850 460-8355
4304 Legendary Dr. C 110, Destin,FL
El JMR Crowfordville 850 926-4329
2481 Crowfordvill Hwy. Crowfordville, FL
El Jalisco Mexican Restaurant Southwood 850 727-0092
3197 Merchants Row Blvd. Tallahasse, FL
El Jalisco Mexican Restaurant Karry Forest 859 668-1002
2915 Kerry Forest Pkwy. Ste. 301 Tallahassee, FL
El Jalisco Mexican Restaurant Capital Circle 850 385-9992
2740 Capital Cir. NE Tallahassee, FL
El Jalisco Mexican Restaurant Monroe. 850 878-0800
2022 W Monroe St. Tallahassee,FL
El Jalisco Mexican Restaurant Lynn Haven 850 571-3155
Lynn Heaven, FL. 32444