Top photo: Fernando Sotelo and his father Alfonso Sotelo work together in 5 Rabanitos' kitchen. Bottom center: Alfonso prepares a dish.
By Natalia Otero
In Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, 5 Rabanitos has been, since 2015, a restaurant deeply rooted in memory, craftsmanship, and family. Ten years after its opening, the project is entering a new phase: generational change. Leading this process is Fernando Sotelo, son of restaurant founder Alfonso Sotelo and current general manager of the restaurant.
“I'm the one in charge of checking everything that happens on a day-to-day basis: inventories, schedules, making sure everything is running smoothly,” explains Fernando Sotelo. At 23, his role is neither symbolic nor decorative: it is operational, demanding, and formative. Two years ago, after graduating from culinary school and completing management courses, he took on the responsibility with an eye on the future of the business... and also on his father's eventual retirement.
Father, boss, and teacher
Working in a family business has clear advantages, but also profound challenges. For Fernando, one of the most complex lessons has been understanding that Alfonso Sotelo is not only his father: he is also his boss.
“Sometimes it's hard to understand that he's not just my dad, but also my boss,” he admits. “There are decisions he has to make as the owner of the business, and even if I think another option would be better for me, he's the one who knows best.”
Far from weakening their relationship, this demanding approach has built a solid foundation of trust. The father is direct, strict when necessary, and clear about his expectations. “At the end of the day, it's his business, and he has to be tough so that I learn what's right and what's not,” says his son.
Both agree on one essential thing: the restaurant must survive and grow. “We want it to go from one to multiple, to become an industry. And for that, we first have to strengthen what already exists.”
Learning to look at the business with different eyes
One of Fernando's clearest contributions has been to broaden the restaurant's view toward new opportunities. Alfonso, a chef by trade and tradition -- he worked 19 years in Rick Bayless' restaurants Topolobampo and Xoco -- has never relied too much on technology, English, or digital strategies. It was the new generation that identified untapped areas.
"We began to see advantages in events, catering, and different ways to promote the restaurant," Fernando says. "We realized that there were things that weren't being exploited."
Today, 5 Rabanitos actively explores catering, events, and strategic alliances, including its presence in university spaces. The recent opportunity to operate at the University of Chicago has opened a key door to connecting with new generations and staying relevant in an increasingly competitive market.
Growth with a solid foundation
In 2024, the group opened a new location in Hyde Park, the Chicago neighborhood that houses the University of Chicago. Like any restaurant, it has had good days and slow days, but the vision is clear: stability first, then expansion.
“All restaurants have to be stable first. Then you build the blocks to grow.”
The idea is not to grow for the sake of growth. The plan includes consolidating current locations, ensuring profitability, and only then evaluating whether the future will bring more 5 Rabanitos, an evolution of the concept, or even a proposal closer to fine dining.
Five radishes, one family
The name of the restaurant is, in itself, a family story. In Mexico, Fernando's grandfather sold radishes in the markets to support his family. On weekends, he would give a small basket to his five children—including Alfonso—to go out and sell. That's where the nickname came from: the five radishes (5 rabanitos)
When Alfonso decided to open his own restaurant, he wanted the name to connect with his history and his roots. That's why every dish has radishes as a garnish: a visual signature, but also an emotional one.
Fernando didn't always see himself in the industry. He wanted to be a veterinarian, and for years the restaurant was just a place he went on weekends. He started as a bussboy, dishwasher, and assistant. He was afraid of making mistakes and being scolded. But the pandemic changed everything.
“I saw my dad tired, stressed, racking his brain over the restaurant,” he recalls.
“And I understood that if I stayed, I had to really lend a hand.”
There was a clear agreement: study, train, and come back prepared. Today, Fernando not only executes, he also proposes. And although he admits that he “rarely beats” his dad in an argument, every idea that works becomes a silent validation.
“As a son, what you want most is your dad's approval,” he confesses.
The challenge of staying relevant
After ten years, the biggest challenge is not opening more locations, but staying relevant. “Nowadays, many restaurants are opening, promoting themselves on social media, and the challenge is to keep people saying, ‘I want to go to 5 Rabanitos.’”
Maintaining quality, service, identity, and connection with the community is key. 5 Rabanitos is widely praised in Chicago -- the elevated Mexican cuisine draws customers from far beyond the Pilsen neighborhood. Alfonso is still involved in the kitchen, supervising recipes, creating weekend specials, and working hand in hand with a team that has been with the restaurant for years. The recipes are documented, carefully preserved, and shared between father and son.
Nothing is lost. Everything is transformed.
The ten-year celebration was, true to the spirit of the restaurant, a family party. The team had the day off... and yet they came back. There were mariachis, boleros, cake, beer, lifelong customers, and lots of emotion. Like a birthday.
Because in the end, that's what 5 Rabanitos is: a restaurant that not only serves food, but also protects a history, trains the next generation, and prepares—with patience and skill—for the years to come.