Mary Buxton
Mary Buxton, El Toro Mexican Restaurant
By Ed Avis
Publisher’s Note: Managers are absolutely essential in the world of Mexican restaurants, and that has never been more true than during this bizarre year. 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 fifth annual version of the contest, and we hope you enjoy – and are inspired by – the stories of these winners and the list of Honorable Mentions that follows.
First Place: Mary Buxton, El Toro Mexican Restaurant, Palestine, Texas
Put Staff First, and the Rest Falls in Line
When COVID crashed into the world six months ago, nobody knew quite what to do. But Mary Buxton, general manager of El Toro Mexican Restaurant in Palestine, Texas, knew that her first move had to be to reassure staff that El Toro put their well-being first.
“People were scared and frustrated,” remembers Buxton, who had been at El Toro only about a year when the pandemic hit. “The main thing was to keep them comfortable and let them know that whatever they felt was the right thing to do we would support them.”
That caring attitude is one reason Buxton was named the el Restaurante/Jarritos Manager of the Year for 2020.
“Mary is an exceptional manager,” wrote John Mayes, El Toro’s vice president of operations, in his nomination of Buxton. “She has a very motherly and caring love for her staff in the FOH and BOH and carries a huge amount of respect and admiration.”
In those first days of COVID, Buxton held an all-staff meeting and told employees they could remain on staff or stay home with their families. About 10 to 15 percent of her 75 employees decided to stay home, but the rest continued working. Eventually most of those who didn’t stay decided to return, and they were welcomed back. Keeping the staff employed was not difficult, because Buxton quickly ramped up the restaurant’s to-go business and initiated delivery service, which they had not had before.
“Our to-go area was just in a little room, so we expanded it to the dining room. We used the dining room as a giant staging system,” she explains. “Coordination was important. We had to make sure each person knew what they were responsible for, so we wouldn’t have a bunch of chickens running around.”
Next the restaurant added delivery service. Buxton explains that staff who were willing to deliver orders were asked to do double duty – they were also packers or took phone orders – because delivery requests were not steady enough to keep drivers constantly busy.
Buxton’s ability to handle the rapidly evolving situation was further demonstrated when dining rooms reopened in July. She had to organize the safety measures required to keep everyone well, while managing a new flow of dining room customers and maintaining the constant to-go and delivery business.
“We were hit right away with people who wanted to come inside,” she says. “It’s really a cool dynamic – since we’ve been open for inside dining, we’ve actually seen an increase in sales from last year. We had some huge losses in March, April and May, but we’ve been able to see the gap close.”
Buxton, who enjoyed a long career at Carrabba’s Italian Grill before joining El Toro, says her attitude towards staff pays off in overall restaurant success: “When you take care of your own people first, everything else falls in line. The numbers fall in line because staff don’t want to waste food; labor costs fall in line because they don’t waste time; and customers are happy because staff want to make them happy.”
Alejandro Velasquez
Alejandro Velasquez, Cyclone Anaya's Tex-Mex Cantina
Second Place: Alejandro Velasquez, Cyclone Anaya’s Tex-Mex Cantina, Austin
He Rose to the Challenge
The staff of Cyclone Anaya’s Tex-Mex Cantina in Austin were expecting a big St. Patrick’s Day weekend in mid-March and had $70,000 worth of food ready to prepare. Then on Friday, March 17, the whole situation changed: The city ordered all bars and restaurants to close due to COVID.
“We closed on Friday mid-day, and we were like, ‘What are we going to do with all this product?’” remembers Alejandro “Alex” Velasquez, operations manager of the restaurant. That brief moment of indecision for Velasquez was followed by months of innovation and long hours that put Cyclone Anaya’s on a strong footing and helped lead to Velasquez winning second place in the 2020 el Restaurante/Jarrito’s Manager of the Year contest.
“Instead of Alejandro succumbing to the pressure of the pandemic, he rose to the challenge and immediately looked for other avenues to keep the business going,” wrote Ricardo Valencia, owner of the restaurant, in his nomination of Velasquez. “He took every opportunity to enhance our business and it shows. He has been an integral part of our success during this pandemic.”
Velasquez, who has worked at the restaurant for eight years and has been in his current position for three, quickly pivoted the restaurant to off-premise service. He and his staff created some new packaging ideas, with input from their distributor, Sysco, that streamlined the take-out business. And when the governor announced that restaurants could offer alcohol to-go, Velasquez and his crew developed half-gallon and gallon to-go margaritas.
“As the state opened up to serve, Alejandro found ways to utilize the outside seating,” Valencia remembers. “He also was able to convince the landlords to allow us to add additional seating to our patio area, so we could have more business. He also added a DJ on weekends to offer entertainment to guests, since bars are closed.”
Of course, there were many challenging moments. Velasquez remembers one day when the kitchen manager called and said he had a kidney stone and could not come in. They had already trimmed staff because of COVID, so losing his kitchen manager could have been a crisis.
“It was just me and one manager in the kitchen,” he remembers. “I said, ‘Don’t worry,’ and started to put the kitchen together. I was reading the recipes and everything. That just shows how important it is to know how everything in the kitchen works. We made it through.”
Today the restaurant is open at 75 percent indoor capacity, but off-premise remains strong. “We used to do $1,500 to $2,000 to-go sales each week, and now it’s $7,000,” he says.
Velasquez is quick to credit his team for the restaurant’s success during this crisis, and he believes an essential management skill is being a good educator.
“Everything you know doesn’t have value if you don’t release that and teach the people around you,” he says. “At the end, the more they know, the easier it is for everybody.”
Jaime Castor
Jaime Castor, Takito Street
Third Place (tie): Jaime Castor, Takito Street Lincoln Park, Chicago
Hard Work Leads to a Quick Climb
When Jaime Castor first met Mario Ponce, owner of the three Takito restaurants in Chicago, he had little restaurant experience and virtually no English speaking ability. But Ponce saw something promising in the young man who wanted to work, so he offered him a job as a busser. Today, about seven years after that meeting, Castor is the general manager of the newest Takito location, Takito Street Lincoln Park.
“Jaime Castor is a perfect example of how hard work, genuine enthusiasm/passion and drive turns someone into a senior manager in a restaurant group,” Ponce wrote in his nomination of Castor. “Today he is fluent in English, possesses a beautiful smile and is authentic in his enthusiasm and positive attitude.”
Castor says that when he met Ponce, he was hungry for a new opportunity and wanted to set a good example for his three children.
“I was telling myself, ‘I’m going to bust my ass until I get somewhere,’” he remembers. “So I started working on my English and working as a busser. I was also watching the bartenders, how they move and how they speak, and a few years later I was able to be a bartender and server.”
But that wasn’t enough for Castor. He left Takito to become a prep cook at another restaurant and worked his way up to kitchen manager there. A year later he encountered Ponce again.
“Mario saw that I had new skills to offer, and he said, ‘Do you want to be a bar manager?’” Castor says.
He took that job, and when Ponce decided to open his third location, he tapped Castor as the general manager.
“He is the face of Takito Street Lincoln Park,” Ponce says. “The large restaurant has quickly become an area favorite and generates high sales and generous profits.”
Castor’s contributions to the company extend beyond that location. He creates drink recipes for all locations – his signature cocktail is a mix of Kahlua, mezcal, cherry liqueur and tobacco bitters called “Coffee and Cigarettes” – and he programs the music for all locations.
His advice for other managers who want to succeed reveals that he worked his way up the ladder and knows what his employees are facing: “I say forget the word ‘manager’; you want to be a leader. You want people to work with you, not for you. I show all my coworkers how hard I work and I expect them to do the same for me and they do.”
Jesus Ceja
Jesus Ceja, Big Taco
Third Place (tie): Jesús Ceja, Big Taco Mexican Restaurant, Alice, Texas
Every Guest Deserves a Smile
Successful restaurant managers and owners often become genuine friends to their customers and the community, and that’s clearly the case with Jesús Ceja, better known as Don Chuy, who is owner/manager of Big Taco Mexican Restaurant in Alice, Texas.
Ceja came to the United States from Mexico 38 years ago. He had learned the art of the taqueria in Mexico City, and spent his first 19 years in America working for taquerias in Texas. Then he launched Big Taco.
According to his daughter Guadalupe Ceja, who nominated him for the award, he “goes above and beyond to support the Hispanic community in this small South Texas town. He started as manager when the small taco shop catered to the booming oil field industry, feeding oil field workers in the early hours of the morning. After the recession severely impacted the economy of the community, he shifted his prices and found ways to keep the business afloat to continue serving his loyal customers.”
Today Big Taco customers count on Ceja for authentic, satisfying Mexican cuisine and a cheerful greeting.
“He always makes the customers feel like a friend, making sure to give a wave or hello to everyone who walks in,” Guadalupe says. “Everyone who walks in the door asks if ‘Chuy’ is around because all of the customers enjoy seeing his big, friendly smile.”
The good vibes customers feel when they enter Big Taco aren’t from Ceja alone – every employee is encouraged to bring a happy attitude.
“Customers always should get a happy greeting and a smile,” Ceja says. “In short, they should be treated as family.”
Of course, expecting staff to be cheerful requires them to be well cared for, and Ceja does that. Having worked his way up from the bottom, he knows what they’re going through and always treats them with respect. And he says that in his 19 years at Big Taco, he has never fired an employee.
It’s no wonder then that community members can always feel like they’re among family at Big Taco.
Honorable Mention
Alan De Santiago, La Frontera Restaurant and Mariscos 7 Mares, Jacksonville, TX. Nominated by Brayan Carrasco: “It was really hard at the beginning of COVID but he was positive and always working hard.”
Carlos Garcia, Plaza Garcia, Kirkland, WA. Nominated by Rocio: “Un hombre trabajador y honesto responsible”
Emmanuel Garcia, Casa Chapala Mexican Cuisine and Tequila Bar, Austin, TX. Nominated by Lucina Barragan: “He listens to the staff and implements their ideas to make their jobs more rewarding, and bends over backwards to ensure guests enjoy every visit to our restaurant.”
Jason Harris, Felipe’s Mexican Taqueria, New Orleans, LA. Nominated by Lon Nichols: “I am most impressed with Jason's ability to develop some of our strong hourly leaders into Managers.”
Michael Lishack, Elephant and the Dove, Clay, NY. Nominated by Paul Midgley: “He is completely focused on guest satisfaction from the moment they walk in the door until he personally thanks them for visiting us.”
Jose Luis, Plaza Santa Fe, Woodinville, WA. Nominated by Kevin: “We are honored to have him work for us everyday from morning to evening with a great attitude to come in and work hard.”
Federico Mendiola, Frontera Grill, Chicopee, MA. Nominated by Lina Salazar: “He is a great leader with the staff back and front, and he cares about quality and excellent service.”
Jorge Munoz, Felipe’s Taqueria, New Orleans, LA. Nominated by Pike Howard: “Jorge is an extremely affable individual, who you not only respect, but genuinely care about.”
Paolo Ochoa, La Playa Mexican Café, Harlingen, TX. Nominated by Elizabeth Trevino: “Una de las cosas que me ha impresionado es que con esta prueba que hemos pasado desde que empezo el Covid 19 ha sido una persona consistente en su trabajo y no se me ha despegado para nada.”
Victor Ramos, Molino’s Mexican Cuisine, Wichita, KS. Nominated by Mario Quiroz: “Es un manager comprometido con la organizacion… un orgulloso padre trabajador, amoroso y alguien extremadamente comprometido con la compania.”
Victor Sanchez, Casa Mexicana, Bellevue, OH. Nominated by Dana: “Victor comes in every day with a smile on his face. he never complains about his job and goes above and beyond to make his employees happy and healthy.”
Luis Sinchi, Los Tapatios II, Vestal, NY. Nominated by Deanna Torres: “During these trying times of Covid-19 he has worked 70+ hours every week since March just to make sure the restaurant would be able to survive these crazy times we live in now.”
Donaciano de la Rosa Vãsquez, El Maguey, Indianapolis, IN. Nominated by Elia Benitez: “Muy responsable, ejemplar, eficiente, me gustó mucho que nos apoyara al cien por ciento durante la pandemia.”
Antonio Zarate, Que Bueno Mexican Grill, Denver. Nominated by Rod Tafoya: “Antonio spends his entire daily shift coaching and teaching, ensuring everyone around him is given appropriate attention and room to grow.”