The Giliberto’s team: Rogelio Coconi (bottom); Elvira Alvarez, Aldo Coconi, Luis Coconi (middle row); Rigoberto Martinez, Alexis Flores (back)
By Natalia Otero
Families are the foundation of society: Knowledge is passed down through generations from one family member to another; they provide fundamental support, especially when you are far from your country of birth; and it is no secret that a united family is a symbol of power and resilience.
Countless Mexican and Latin restaurants in the United States are family businesses, and their success shows the strength of the family entrepreneurship model. Inherited recipes, consistency, and the feeling of being “at home” make these businesses thrive in a highly competitive field.
Below are six keys to success in a family-run restaurant, gleaned from interviews over the past year with owners of a variety of Mexican and Latin restaurants.
#1 Clear division of roles and responsibilities
In a well-run family business, each participating member contributes something unique. That’s why it’s important for everyone to take charge of their area of expertise.
For example, it’s common in family-run restaurants for members of the older generation — grandparents, parents, aunts or uncles — to be the guardians of culinary secrets. Being outside their country of origin, they are most likely to maintain direct contact with their roots, their homeland, and authentic flavors.
George Torres, current owner of El Nopal, a historic restaurant founded in Pueblo, Colorado 70 years ago, says, “If I hadn't followed the recipes my grandmother started, we wouldn't be here after all these years.”
Similarly, Aldo Coconi, one of the family owners of Giliberto’s Mexican Taco Shop, which has 16 locations across the upper Midwest, says, “Everything we offer in the restaurant is my mother’s recipe. She taught us that the most important thing is to cook with heart and taste.”
Members of the next generation — the nephews, cousins, grandchildren, and siblings, most of whom were born and raised in the United States — often have a more modern vision of the market. They contribute to the image and brand design, manage social media, and bring a new, larger audience to the business.
This was the case with La Patrona, a food truck in Washington, D.C. Thanks to the drive and perseverance of Jennifer Ramos, one of the owners, on social media, the business gained momentum and went viral, attracting customers and foodies from all over the community.
In nearly every family there is someone who is good with numbers. They are the organized, punctual ones in charge of managing the business, keeping an eye on finances and payroll, and knowing exactly what to invest in and when. Finally, many family restaurants count on someone with excellent people skills to take charge of managing the team.
Sometimes the family divides the work by location rather than skill. For example, the 16 locations of Giliberto’s Mexican Taco Shop are each run by extended family members, including cousins, nieces and nephews, and in-laws. The three siblings who own the chain — Aldo, Gabino and Maria Coconi — oversee the total operation, but they rely on local family to manage day-to-day operations at their respective locations.
However the work is divided, the key is that the family members know their individual roles and generally stay out of the way of others. Sometimes joint decisions need to be made, but successful family businesses thrive when each family member can shine individually.
Christian and Aaleiyah Martinez of Taco Libre
#2 Free time and space outside of work
One of the biggest risks in a family business is that the boundaries between personal and professional life disappear. The dinner table becomes just another place to talk shop. While it can be hard to switch off work mode, successful family business owners understand that it is vital to separate family and partner time from work time.
Why? For one, if work-related problems seep into home life, relationships can suffer. It’s one thing for a husband-wife team to disagree about human resource issues at the restaurant, and another to continue that argument at home. Every family member should feel confident that they are a family member first, employee second.
Also, everyone benefits from taking time off, even if it’s just evening hours, so leave work at work. Resting and having time away from the business will help you return to work with greater clarity and strength.
Christian and Aaleiyah Martinez, founders of the Taco Libre food truck in Old Koloa Town, Hawaii, admit that in the beginning they made the mistake of living only for the business. They learned that enjoying time away from work strengthens relationships and allows them to return to the business with renewed energy.
“Don't obsess over work,” recommends Christian Martínez. “That was a mistake I made in the beginning. Love your partner and understand that you are a team that needs each other!”
#3 Trust and communication
Trust is the glue that holds any family restaurant together. But it's not enough to just “get along”: Success requires organized communication, regular meetings, and clarity in every decision.
Successful family business owners are honest with each other. They also have consistent communication. This helps ensure that all
The owners of Ocean Paradise: Mirza Salguero, Luis Gonzalez, Milvia Salguero, Noel Castillo, Marieny Salguero and Hector Chavarria.
members of the business are aware of what’s going on in the business.
At Ocean Paradise in Fairfax, Virginia, six partners — three Guatemalan sisters and their husbands — run a sophisticated fresh seafood restaurant. Their secret has been to trust each member’s specialty and maintain constant communication to ensure quality and service.
“To have a partnership of six, communication is very important, as are management teams that allow all areas to communicate with each other,” says Milvia Salguero, one of the sisters.
Of course, communication does not prevent all conflicts, but it does provide the certainty that when conflicts arise, there is path to resolving them. Family business owners who trust each other and communicate well are more likely to be able to work through problems than families without those traits.
#4 Written protocols and recipes
Businesses that last tend to have standardized process manuals and recipes. This ensures that if the business grows, the flavor and quality remain intact.
“As soon as we open a new location, we train the new team,” explains Aldo Coconi from Giliberto’s Mexican Taco Shop. “We send those who already know the ropes, along with the recipe book, and make sure they know how to do everything with the ingredients, methods, etc.”
Documented procedures are essential to a restaurant like Giliberto’s, with 16 locations, but even sole-location restaurants benefit from them. As family members and other employees come and go, having the success formula in writing helps ensure continuity.
#5 Mutual support in difficult times
A restaurant requires long hours and sacrifices. At times like these, family support is the best way to keep family members from giving up.
Karina García, co-owner of Cocina Consuelo in New York City, launched her business by selling tacos from home during the pandemic. That effort eventually led to a successful restaurant. She has always counted on the support of her husband and business partner, Eduardo “Lalo” Rodríguez. She says the secret to their success is that when one of them falls, the other picks them up.
Another example: Maria Henriquez, 44, and Ashley Henriquez, 21, the mother-daughter team that operates La Salvi, a Salvadoran restaurant in New York.
“There have been difficult moments when we wanted to stop. It’s just the two of us, and sometimes it’s hard. Of course, we have misunderstandings sometimes, but at the end of the day, she’s my mother, and we always try to come to an agreement,” Ashley says.
#6 Remember: No matter what happens, you are family
Beyond the tensions or conflicts inherent in any business, the greatest strength of these projects is that they are united by something greater: the family bond.
The Coconi brothers, owners of the Giliberto's chain, run their 16 locations with uncles, cousins, and nephews working together. Their success is based on perseverance, but also on remembering that, at the end of the day, they are still a family that cooks together.
This means no matter what happens, mothers and daughters will continue to be mothers and daughters, cousins will be cousins, and siblings will be siblings.
Beyond any business or working relationship, there is the family bond that is unbreakable.
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