Tony Arroyo
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By Natalia Otero
Los Arroyos, one of Santa Barbara's most famous authentic Mexican restaurants, turned 25 years old last month. On March 4, they sold tacos at rock-bottom prices and churros to celebrate the anniversary.
Jose Antonio “Tony” Arroyo grew up in La Piedad, Michoacan, Mexico. When he was 14, he immigrated to the United States, knowing no English and with less than $20 in his pocket.
Arroyo's first job in Santa Barbara was at Moby Dick's fish restaurant. He started as a glass cleaner and quickly worked his way up to waiter, bartender, cook, head chef and, finally, general manager. He supported his family in Mexico, including paying for the education of his relatives.
“Los Arroyos was a dream I had in mind and my ex-partner, Maria, pushed me,” Arroyo says. “On March 4, 1999, we opened Los Arroyos. By 3 p.m. the first day, I had sold $20. My ex-partner was worried, but I knew things would turn out. At 5 p.m. a line formed and by 7:30 I had sold all the food.”
He started with a very simple menu, just ten dishes. But he focused on quality. The original recipes were from his mother and grandmother. In those early years cooking in the United States, Arroyo would call his mother and she would give him tips over the phone. His brother, Juan, is a specialist in dressings, so all the dressings offered at the restaurant are homemade.
Throughout these 25 years, the chefs who have worked at Los Arroyos have put their special touch on the recipes, taking them to another level. For example, there is a posole named Luisa Posole, because a chef named Luisa modified it.
Many of his original employees are still at the restaurant. Irma Damaso, the first cook, and Arroyo's right hand, is a case in point. Today, after 25 years, Arroyo has 180 employees and restaurants in Santa Barbara, Montecito and Goleta.
“In our restaurant, the difference has been made by the employees. Without them, we are nothing. I don't have to be in the restaurants as much anymore, because they run them so well. Lesly, Luisma, Arely, Jorge, Felipe, all of them, and more, have been there for many years and represent Los Arroyos,” he says. “There are the restaurant people and the management people. I think they still love me because I make them laugh a lot,” he says, laughing.
Growth in the 2000s
The second restaurant, in Montecito, was opened in 2004, a year after Tony's first son, Diego, was born. Now he has another son, Samuel.
“One thing I've noticed is that people want to open Mexican restaurants and they think it's selling tacos and enchiladas, and they already have that. But owning a restaurant is the hardest business there can be. The reason we have been here 25 years is because I love the business: I love the food, I love the employees who are like family,” he says.
They opened their third restaurant in 2009, and that location lasted 10 years. In 2010 they opened Arroyo Mexican Grill in Reno, Nevada. In 2016, Arroyo and his investors opened Los Arroyos Mexican Restaurant and Bar, in Carmel, Indiana.
“I offer something very fresh and authentic,” Arroyo says, explaining his success. “I buy everything fresh daily. The tortillas are handmade, the toppings are homemade, the recipes are authentic and everything is high quality. I'm strict about that.”
One dish he still makes today, in honor of his mother, is chiles rellenos: they are roasted, peeled, cleaned, topped with fresh cheese and flour. Chiles rellenos are very popular and he continues to make them because they remind him of his native Mexico.
Looking Ahead
Samuel, Tony and Diego Arroyo
After 25 years, Arroyo thanks God that “we are still standing. We closed two restaurants after the pandemic, but we didn't lose employees. For the future, I have the illusion that my son and other generations are coming. I have employees whose children work for us. I will never rest, I will continue until I can't take it anymore,” says Arroyo.
Even though he doesn't work in the kitchen, he continues to run the business, traveling, visiting places and restaurants for inspiration. In any case, there is no greater happiness for him than arriving at his restaurant and sitting in the chair designated for him and seeing the same old employees, the same old customers, in that space he has built with so much love and effort.
“Bless God, I am a man that people know because I gave them something good,” he concludes.
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