Announcing the 2023 Jarritos/el Restaurante Manager of the Year WINNERS

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE: It’s always a pleasure to read the nominations for the el Restaurante Manager of the Year Contest, and this year — as every year — we had many outstanding entries. All of the candidates are talented, hard-working managers who have helped their restaurants succeed. We are pleased to honor them here and say congratulations to everyone! And thank you to Jarritos, which was our generous contest sponsor this year! — ED AVIS

FIRST PLACE: GUSTAVO HERNANDEZ, El Toro Mexican Restaurants, Baytown, Texas

     Gustavo Hernandez earned his position as district kitchen manager at El Toro Mexican Restaurants the way many hard- working restaurant employees have advanced: by learning all the positions in the kitchen, exhibiting leadership abilities, and guiding other employees on their career paths.

     “Twelve years ago, I started at the bottom, as they say, cooking on the grill,” Hernandez remembers. “Little by little I learned how to manage the whole line and I became involved in everything in the kitchen.”

      The involvement and knowledge paid off: Four years after starting, Hernandez was named kitchen manager, a job he per- formed exceptionally well, according to John Mayes, vice president of operations and pastor at El Toro Mexican Restaurants, which has six locations in Texas.

      “The funny thing is though, it was not always about him,” Mayes wrote in his nomination of Hernandez. “He took his time and developed other line cooks to assist him in his back of the house leadership. With the extra added help and set of eyes, Gustavo was able to branch out and watch all the kitchen, taking our flagship store to another level of cleanliness and organization.”

     As he grew his management skills, Hernandez continued exhibiting his cooking abilities, Mayes says. He developed off- menu items — birria eggrolls is one memorable example — to see how customers would respond, and changed the presentation of some dishes to improve their appearance. Cooking is still a passion for him, Hernandez says. “The thing I like best about working in the restaurant is cooking for our customers, giving them good service,” he says.

     Eventually El Toro’s leadership decided to ask Hernandez to apply his management talents to other locations in the chain. “Gustavo began going to our other locations and making sure that we were being consistent in presentation, organization, cleanliness, and procedures,” Mayes wrote. “He was welcomed at all locations and actually had a great eye for all of those items.”

     Those successful experiences eventually led him to being named district kitchen manager. In that role he teaches other employees and helps them achieve some of the success he has enjoyed.

     When asked what makes a good manager, Hernandez replies that understanding employees’ needs and problems and helping them deal with those issues is key. Another important trait is helping employees grow.

      “I like to create opportunities for our employees,” he says. “Just like I was given the opportunity to advance at El Toro, I like to give others the opportunity to grow and advance. And I tell my employees that we always need to be seeking more — more for ourselves and more for our families.”

      Mayes says it’s clear that Hernandez has not yet reached the limit of his success as a manager: “He shows signs that he may evolve into much more.”

SECOND PLACE: AMY TAMA, The Flying Taco Grill, Towanda, Pennsylvania

     Amy Tama waited tables at TGIFridays in the 1990s, and then left hospitality to spend 24 years raising her children. She returned to the field about two years ago when she was hired at The Flying Taco Mexican Grill in Towanda, Pennsylvania. She dove in with gusto and quickly impressed her boss.

      “Amy might be blue-eyed and have blond hair, but she runs our Mexican restaurant bar and outdoor cantina like a real catadores!” wrote Ann Smith, the restaurant’s owner, in her nomination of Tama.

     Tama visited The Flying Taco as a customer about two weeks after the restaurant opened. She had been occupied following the collegiate athletic exploits of her son and daughter— he played baseball and she pole vaulted. But as she enjoyed the environment on her first restaurant visit, she told Smith she would like to work there. Before long Smith hired her as a server.

      A few months later,on Cinco de Mayo 2022, Tama had the day off but visited The Flying Taco as a customer. Ann’s son Schuyler Smith, the bar manager, was slammed making Margaritas and asked Tama if she could clock in and help.

     “I said, ‘OK’ — and four hours later I was still behind the bar making Margaritas and having the time of my life,” Tama remembers. “Then Schuyler said, ‘Do you want to be a bar tender?’ I said yes!”

     Tama approached that job with the same enthusiasm as she applied to waiting tables. When Schuyler left the restaurant in early 2023 to join the Marines, Tama was the natural choice to take over as bar manager. She felt unqualified at first and asked to be called “team leader” instead of manager, but she quickly learned the job and accepted the new title.

     “Now when someone asks who is the bar manager, I raise my hand,” she says. “I do all the liquor ordering now and all of the other manager tasks, so that lack of confidence and fear quickly diminished. I love what I do.”

     Her boss loves what Tama does, too.

     “What Amy doesn’t know about Mexican bar drinks, she researches,” Smith wrote. “Always working to craft drinks that please, finding fresh ingredients that represent Hispanic culture, and bringing customers to the bar are her forte.”

      Among Tama’s successes as a bar manager are the monthly drink features. She says a group of regular customers always comes in on the first Friday of the month just to learn about the new drink feature.

     Another characteristic that Smith appreciates about Tama is the “flair” she brings to her attire, helping create a fun environment for guests and other employees. For example, one football Sunday she wore her referee outfit, and when a group of hunters held their annual meeting at The Flying Taco, Tama donned camo and blaze orange attire so she fit in!

     Managing staff effectively is another area Tama excels in. She believes developing relationships with staffers is a key to that area. For example, once a month she holds a staff meeting on Monday, when the restaurant is closed, where employees are invited to discuss any issues while the group enjoys pizza and watch sports. They also sometimes spend time together outside of work. Recent outings have included kayaking and boating.

     “When we do those things, we get to know each other at a different level,” Tama says. “We’re not just coming into the Taco and working together. We’re friends, we know each other.”

     That attitude is reflected in Tama’s advice to other managers seeking success: “I think being in the hospitality industry is about treating everybody as a friend or family member. It’s all about making them comfortable and happy at that moment in the environment they are in.”

THIRD PLACE: FERNANDO RANGEL, Sammy’s Mexican Grill and Bar, Elgin, Illinois

     Fernando Rangel was only 15 when he started working at Sammy’s Mexican Grill and Bar as a busser. In the 12 years since then, he has jumped on every opportunity to learn the different positions in the restaurant and improve his skills.

       “I feel like since I’ve played a role in every position in the restaurant, I’m able to do a little bit of everything,” he says. “I like putting my hands in the fire. I like being a player, not just a coach.”

     Becoming bartender when he turned 21 and becoming general manager about three years ago are two key steps in his Sammy’s career. He has impressed his boss (his father, Alfredo) each step of the way.

     “Fernando ... is always on the lookout for administrative matters, monitoring our food cost and looking for better quality products for the business every day,” Alfredo Rangel wrote in his nomination of Fernando. “He is always a very committed person [and] to date has never missed a day to work, always on time, giving a good example to his entire work team.”

     Fernando’s management style is collaborative. Since he gets into the trenches with his employees every day, they know he carries his weight and supports them.

     “I get along with all my employees because of that. They do their jobs gladly; I don’t have to be telling them to do this or that,” he says. When new employees arrive or when problems arise, he is ready to deal with them. “I sometimes have to step out of my friend zone and tell my employees how to do something. But I try to show them myself.”

     Alfredo praises Fernando’s abilities to keep the restaurant running smoothly.

     “He has the gift of leadership,” he says. “His staff faithfully follows him in each task he assigns, he is concerned about the atmosphere of the restaurant involving cleanliness and organization in each of the work areas. Our customer service is of a high level thanks to him and the example he sets for all his staff; he has a great personality with them.”

      When asked what advice he would give to someone wanting to be a better manager, he says, “I would tell them to push a little more than anyone else. Then your employees will look at you and they’ll want to do that, too.”

2023 HONORABLE MENTIONS

The quotes are from the nominating forms submitted for each winner.

• Ben Diaz, The Restaurant at Leoness Cellars, Temecula, California. “He makes everyone feel that their role is just as important as any other and continually has new opportunities for his staff.”

•Alex Figueroa, Blue Habanero, Cleveland, Ohio. “Alex ha demostrado liderazgo, positividad, y es un trabajador excepcional, una persona a seguir y que me inspira a hacer mi trabajo mejor cada día.”

•Jeovanny Fuentes, Gio’s Taqueria, Carrollton, Texas. “El es el alma de este restaurant.”

• Maria de Hoyos, Gio’s Taqueria, Carrollton, Texas. “Simplemente una manager ejemplar.”

•Lillian Nascrimento De Melo, Juan’s Flying Burrito, New Orleans, Louisianna. “She handles everything from organizing shifts to handling angry customers and all of the in between so impressively and professionally.”

• Marisol Noriega, Castañedas Mexican Food, Chula Vista, California. “Consistent, Dedicated, Honorable, Passionate, And Kind.”

• Jair Ocampo, Amigos Mexican Food, Greenwood Village, Colorado. “I genuinely think if we all had Jair’s work ethic and attitude towards life we would all live in a perfect world.”

•Bartolomé Ortiz, La Vecindad, Las Vegas, Nevada. “His dedication, his passion, the love with which he does his work is incomparable.”

•Paul Repetti, Sonic Wave Kitchen, Boonton, New Jersey. “So nice and a true mentor.”

•Alexander Reyes, Santa Rita Cantina, Austin, Texas. “When things get hard, he always steps up and does what needs to be done, even if he’s supposed to be taking time off.”

•Jhonatan Sánchez and Ariste Martinez, El Taco Macho, Painesville, Ohio. “Thanks to the work of our 2 managers we have been able to grow and position ourselves as one of the best restaurants in our city.”

•Maria Saucedo, Taquitos Jalisco, Mesa, Arizona. “She helps everyone with any job and stays extra late to help out.”

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