Jairo Navarro
Jairo Navarro, the 2019 el Restaurante/Jarritos Manager of the Year
By Ed Avis
Publisher’s Note: No restaurant operates successfully without a manager. A manager opens the restaurant in the morning, closes the restaurant at night, and keeps everything running smoothly in between. That’s why el Restaurante and Jarritos are so pleased to honor the best managers of Mexican/Latin restaurants in the United States. This is our fourth annual version of the contest, and we are delighted with the amazing quality of the nominations. We hope you enjoy – and are inspired by – the stories of these winners and the list of Honorable Mentions that follows.
Manager of the Year: Jairo Navarro, General Manager, Felipe’s Mexican Taqueria, Naples, Florida.
When Jairo Navarro was hired at Felipe’s Mexican Taqueria in New Orleans in 2014, the idea was that he would start out as a manager. After all, he had worked in restaurants for six years, and even co-owned one for two years. But he had a different idea.
“They hired me as a manager, but I said I wanted to be on the team before I became a manager,” Navarro says. “So I started as a burrito line team member, and I didn’t accept the manager’s polo shirt until I had learned all the positions, about three or four months.”
Navarro’s commitment to learning every job in the restaurant, and the modesty that allowed him to temporarily forgo the manager’s position, are characteristics that have served him well in his career. It’s no surprise that he has been chosen as the 2019 el Restaurante/Jarritos Manager of the Year.
“Jairo is a very special type of leader,” wrote Charles Arinder, operations manager at Felipe’s, in his nomination of Navarro. “He looks to develop his team, he always puts his team first, and he takes care to keep his team accountable and happy in their work. Everyone knows where they stand with Jairo because of his consistent and open communication.”
Opening New Locations
Navarro’s talent as a leader revealed itself quickly. Shortly after he accepted a manager position, he was tasked with helping open a new location in Slidell, Louisiana. He served as kitchen manager and trainer, and then was promoted to restaurant manager.
His next stop was helping to open another new location in Naples, Florida, which involved more challenges.
“In Naples, the first challenge was moving away from New Orleans and my family after being there 12 years,” Navarro says. “Then I spent three months training, trying to teach everybody every position and identify the leaders of each team. It got really complicated when part of the training team got transferred to other locations, so after four months I was training, managing, and running the whole restaurant. I worked 194 hours in two weeks, a record at Felipe’s!”
Arinder remembers that period: “Jairo is as tough as they come and refused to let the team and company down,” he says. “Jairo's ‘superpower’ is his heart. He finds people and situations with potential and develops them into something better. He's done that with every Felipe's team he's been a part of and he's done that with me. I'm a better manager of people because of the opportunity I have in managing Jairo.”
More Than Work
Arinder says he greatly appreciates Navarro’s commitment to the restaurant, but he notes that Navarro’s world extends beyond his work.
“Jairo also works for a much bigger purpose - one outside of the four walls of the restaurant,” Arinder says. “Jairo immigrated to the U.S. about 15 years ago and began working to make money to send back to his family in Mexico. His family fell on some hard times and he made it his responsibility to help support the family. In his time with Felipe's Jairo has successfully gotten his family back to a comfortable living arrangement, paid for the medical treatment for both of his parents when needed, and put his sister through nursing school.”
Navarro, who grew up in Jalisco and moved to the United States when he was 18, got married two years ago. And, no surprise, he met his wife at a music event held at Felipe’s!
As Felipe’s continues to grow – more locations are planned for Florida and other states – so will Navarro’s role. He will become a multi-unit general manager soon, Arinder reports.
But Navarro’s modesty also continues: “I’m kind of against titles,” he says. “I just like to be a mentor, a part of the team.”
Garrett Wellsandt
Garrett Wellsandt, Second Place, 2019 el Restaurante/Jarritos Manager of the Year Contest
Second Place: Garrett Wellsandt, General Manager, Borracho Tacos and Tequileria, Spokane, Washington.
Garrett Wellsandt remembers well the day he was promoted to general manager of Marquee, a nightclub where he tended bar.
“I was afraid I was being called into the office to get fired,” laughs Wellsandt, who had started in security and worked his way through the ranks to lead bartender. “It was a nightclub, so our day ended at 4 a.m., and Jason called me at 10 a.m. I thought, ‘Oh no, did I forget to lock up last night?’”
But firing Wellsandt was not what Jason Martinez, operations manager for the company that owns Marquee, had in mind. He knew Wellsandt had the skills to take over as general manager, and offered him the job. Two years later, when the company launched Borracho Tacos and Tequileria, they tapped Wellsandt as the opening GM.
“When time came to open Borracho six years ago, he was the shoo-in choice to be the GM and six years later he's still killing it,” Martinez wrote in his nomination of Wellsandt. “His attention to detail on food and drink recipes are second to none. We have four other concepts and whenever we hire new managers they all get trained by Garrett. His talents seem to be limitless.”
Challenging Launch
Wellsandt said launching Borracho was challenging but satisfying.
“The first year and a half to two years I was working 80 hours a week, building the restaurant from the ground up,” he remembers. “The systems, procedures and community of understanding of what needs to be done weren’t there yet. But seeing things come together, and seeing the team take shape, was great. It was one of the most rewarding things I’ve done.”
Borracho’s menu also bears Wellsandt’s imprimatur.
“He's constantly in the kitchen with our chef trying to improve recipes and about 25 to 35 percent of our recipes are his personal ones,” Martinez says. “He also took the initiative on our plating and has really stepped up the presentation of our food.”
Naturally, being a former bartender, Wellsandt greatly influences Borracho’s cocktail program as well. He developed the recipes for all of the cocktails on the menu, and earned his Cicerone Level 1 certification to gain a better understanding of beer.
Strength in Systems
Perhaps Wellsandt’s biggest contribution to Borracho’s success has been his talent in creating and maintaining systems and standards.
“That’s definitely part of my personality,” he says. “I think organization is key. In a bar, you need to know what’s in stock, what’s coming in and what’s going out. Same with a schedule – I think there’s a perfect way to set one. It should be fluid enough for staff, but also maintain the checks and balances. It’s important to have standards in place – everyone should know that there’s a way to do things, and that they should stick to that.”
Martinez appreciates that skill: “We fully trust him to make the right decisions on anything FOH or BOH. He's also really great at taking systems and processes and fine tuning them into outstanding ones. We don't want that corporate feel here but we still want the machine to run like one and he does a great job balancing that.”
Managing People
At the end, every successful manager needs to have good people skills, and Wellsandt excels in that area.
“All of his staff love working for him and customers love talking to him,” Martinez says. “Even with a ton on his plate he always makes time to go and mingle with our guests when appropriate.”
Sarah Maldonado-Acosta
Sarah Maldonado-Acosta (right), Third Place, 2019 el Restaurante/Jarritos Manager of the Year Contest. Pictured with Martin Hernandez, owner of el Jefe Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar, and his wife Ana.
Third Place: Sarah Maldonado-Acosta, General Manager, el Jefe Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar, Stevensville, Maryland
Eight years ago Sarah Maldonado-Acosta was a Realtor in Stevensville, Maryland with zero restaurant experience. But she frequently ate lunch at a restaurant and became friends with the manager, Martin Hernandez. When Hernandez decided to launch el Jefe Mexican Kitchen & Tequila Bar, he desperately needed help and remembered Maldonado-Acosta’s cheerful attitude.
“We’re in a small rural area so the employee pool is small,” Maldonado-Acosta says. “He frantically came to my place of employment and said, ‘Can you help me out?’ I told him I had never worked in a restaurant, but he said, ‘Somebody will show you what to do…I just need someone to make margaritas.’ I finally said, ‘It sounds like fun – let’s do it!’”
From that humble beginning, Maldonado-Acosta advanced to become el Jefe’s general manager and a key reason the restaurant has succeeded.
“I quickly realized that ‘Sarita’ was someone I could count on and trust,” Hernandez wrote in his nomination of Maldonado-Acosta. “In 2014 I made the jump to expand the restaurant and triple in size. Sarah has a background in sales and marketing and she grew my business like it was nothing. She became the face of El Jefe. In 2015 she took over as the general manager and it's the best decision I have ever made for this business.”
Learning by Doing
Maldonado-Acosta learned the restaurant business by working in the trenches. She had been a bartender and server when Hernandez promoted her to general manager, so she learned the back of the house by spending time in the kitchen.
“It was a challenge to learn the back of the house, but I’ve definitely come around,” she says. “In a lot of corporate restaurants they train managers, but they haven’t been working with the people. I’ve been a server and a bartender, so I try to do what’s best for the business, but I’m also human.”
Maldonado-Acosta has also put her background to work in helping el Jefe grow.
“I’m a marketing person, and I just used what I knew,” she says. “I was doing a lot of things other restaurants in the area weren’t doing. For example, five years ago social media wasn’t as big as it is now, but it was what I knew. And it worked.”
Thanksgiving Feast
Maldonado-Acosta's efforts to improve el Jefe extend to the community. Last year she organized a free Thanksgiving dinner for those in the area without a place to go.
"One of our regular customers came with her four children," Maldonado-Acosta remembers. "I didn’t realize her husband was active military, and always has to work on holidays. She told me she normally stresses out on holidays because she's so busy trying to prepare the meal while taking care of the kids, but this year there was none of that. 'We came here and had a lovely meal instead!' she told me. That story really got to me!"
Special Award -- Most Beloved Manager: Areli Aguilar, Taquerias Arandas, Houston, Texas.
Areli Aguilar must be the most beloved restaurant manager in the country – she was nominated by 17 employees! Here’s just a small sample of the love notes Areli received: Santiago Basabe wrote: “Es una excelente manager y buena trabajadora y le pone mucho interés al trabajo.” Jose Gonzalez says: “She has exceptional leadership skills and is a very kind and knowledgeable person.” And Leticia Mercado wrote: “Es una persona muy profesional y repetuosa con sus empleados; muy accesible y comprensiva. Siempre trabaja al igual que sus empleados.” Congratulations, Areli, on receiving the most nominations ever in our contest!
Honorable Mentions
Daniel Arteaga, Villa Roma Market & Deli, Laguna Hills, California. Nominated by Teresa Razo: “Daniel is the type of person who is always making sure customers, staff and family are feeling welcomed and been taken care of.”
Jose Arturo Campos Barreto, El Rancho Grande, Cincinnati, Ohio. Nominated by Jose Arturo Campos Barreto: “Jose Campos is an excellent manager, he’s always friendly to all the customers, he treats everyone equally with respect.”
Ivan Ceballos, Que Bueno Suerte, Denver, Colorado. Nominated by Rod Tafoya: “Food truly is his passion, a lifelong commitment that drives him to settle for nothing less than the best.”
Nicole Demarco, Tito’s Burritos & Wings, Morristown, New Jersey. Nominated by Paul Repetti, Mike Caldarella and Victoria Reyes: “She is happy to help out in any capacity, whether it be within the confines of her job description or not; from hitting the town in our fan favorite taco suit, to coming in on her day off and giving the kitchen a deep clean.”
Alan De Santiago, La Frontera Restaurant, Jacksonville, Texas. Nominated by Brayan Carrasco: “La verdad estamos muy contentos con su trabajo y esperamos que esto sea para largo en el crecimiento de la compañía.”
Guillermo Fernandez Diaz, MX Taco, Orlando, Florida. Nominated by Ryan Manning: “He has developed a strong team in the kitchen that will help as we grow to multiple locations.”
Andrea Flores, El Burrito Mercado y Restaurante, St. Paul, Minnesota. Nominated by Milissa Silva-Diaz: “Andrea se merece este reconocimiento por su liderazgo, empeno, lealtad, iniciativa y creatividad!”
Elliott Fuentes, La Divina, Buffalo, New York. Nominated by Yeslin Kimball: “El Senor Fuentes es una persona excelente, trabajador, detallistas con nuestras clients y con nuestras empleados tambien.”
Chris Garza, Poblanos on Main Mexican Restaurant, San Antonio, Texas. Nominated by Eric: “Chris has made it is duty to go above and beyond to make each customer interaction special.”
Miguel Granados, Los Rios Mexican Restaurant, Cumming, Georgia. Nominated by Miguel Granados: “Always willing to work long hours.”
Mikey Knab, Ponce's Mexican Restaurant, San Diego, California. Nominated by Ponce Meza.
Obidio Marcel, Los Mariachis, Nelsonville, Ohio. Nominated by Carla Mash: “He sings as he works and ALWAYS has a smile on his face!”
Sergio Macias, El Leoncito, Titusville, Florida. Nominated by Michael Sanchez: “He is such a part of the restaurant that we have a mural painted outside of the building with Sergio in a zarape. He also recently got a large tattoo of a lion on his shoulder as we are El Leoncito.”
Martha Mares, Caliente Southwest Grill, Costa Mesa, California. Nominated by Dawn Vaught: “She is truly the backbone of our family owned restaurant. She guides us and gently reminds us when we need to get back on track.”
Freddy Mendez, Cambalache Grill, Fountain Valley, California. Nominated by Teresa Razo: “We are truly honored and grateful to have Freddy share our journey, passion and dreams.”
Ever Mendoza, Rancho Grande Bar & Grill, Tomball, Texas. Nominated by Ever Mendoza: “Responsible, friendly, always clean, and a professional example for others.”
Bryan Ochoa, Casa Colima Mexican Restaurant, Portland, Oregon. Nominated by Alex Ochoa: “Bryan has a very strong connection with all of our customers and staff anyone could call him at any time day and night and hes always ready to help with anything.”
Paulo Ochoa, La Playa Mexican Café, Harlingen, Texas. Nominated by Elizabeth Trevino: “Very dedicated, faithful, trustful and clean.”
Tanya Ortega, Nixo Lounge, Los Angeles, California. Nominated by Ben Diaz: “In the short time Tanya has been with us she has made a dramatic impact on service, from instituting new procedures and protocols that maximize our efficiency and revenue to safety plans to help our staff stay within safety practices.”
Luis Ramirez, Cebolla’s Mexican Grill, Fort Wayne, Indiana. Nominated by Lauren: “He is an affectionate, ambitious, and a diligent individual that makes this restaurant a family.”
Miguel Rodriguez, El Toro Restaurants, Baytown, Texas. Nominated by John Mayes: “Miguel is an employee that could never be replaced and is very valuable to our organization.”
Soccoro Roque, Baja, Oakland, California. Nominated by Jeffrey Mogalian: “My most favorite thing about Coco is she is always ‘up’ and greets everyone with friendly and genuine hellos and goodbyes. She really sets the tone each day and our customers really feel so welcome because of her energy.”
Luis Sanchez, Mazatlan Mexican Restaurant, Dickson, Tennessee. Nominated by Miguel Fuentes: “Profesional, excelente servicio al cliente, responsible, y sumamente honrado.”
Monica Sánchez, Tito’s Burritos & Wings, Summit, New Jersey. Nominated by Angie Rojas: “Monica is an excellent manager, mother and co-worker, she always finds the best solution for each problem.”
Luis Sinchi, Los Tapatios, Vestal, New York. Nominated by Deanna Torres: “Luis is in the restaurant from open to close every day. He always has a smile on his face and he makes all the customers feel like family.”
Brian Smith, Tacos Tequila Whiskey, Denver, Colorado. Nominated by Kevin Morrison: “We value his hard work ethic, communication and organization so much that we have every new manager train with him.”
Francisco Solis, El Tarasco Mexican Restaurant, Lehigh Acres, Florida. Nominated by Tawanna Olivencia: “He takes care of all his employees and does his best to solve any situation that may occur while in workplace.”
Gladys Valiente, SRF Church, Los Angeles, California. Nominated by Monica Miranda: “She is always on time, ready to work and lead by example. Her passion for cooking is very evident in the food she produces and the leadership in the kitchen.”
Holmes Valladares, Tacos Tijuana, Mesa, Arizona. Nominated by Wendy Torres: “Los empleadsos lo respetan, porque sabe cuando ser el ‘jefe’ y cuando ser ‘amigo’.”