The El Toro Story: Led by Faith, Ideals

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Editor's Note: El Toro Mexican Restaurant in Texas is a true success story...with a special connection to el Restaurante magazine: 5 of their managers have placed in the top 3 spots of the el Restaurante Manager of the Year Contest, including two first place winners! That is by far the most for any restaurant. So we are delighted to publish this article written by one of the company's leaders.

     My name is John Mayes. I am the VP of Operations and Pastor for El Toro Restaurants. I have worked for this family for 24 years. Working for this family and company has taught me a lot of things.

     First and for most, it has strengthened me in my faith. I no longer back down when it comes to sharing my faith with others. It has taught me that one of the most important pieces of our company is our staff family. We couldn’t do it without them. Our ultimate goal is to make every guest feel at home in our restaurant and like they are among family from the moment they step in the door.

    They taught me sticking to our original recipes and our roots is what makes us who we are. The sons of the founder Eugene Ybarra used to want to change things and I have to admit that I tried once or twice as well. Mr. Ybarra would always say, “I have been successful with these things for over 40 years. Why would I change what is working now?”

     They have taught me that we cannot start with a Volkswagon coming in the back door and push out a BMW in the front. You have to have the highest quality ingredients. That we have to be organized, clean, set high standards, and we have to constantly improve.

    In a book I read named “Good to Great” by Jim Collins; it says, Just because we are good at it and just because we’re making money and generating growth; doesn’t necessarily mean we can become the best at it. The good-to-great companies understand that doing what you are good at will only make you good; focusing solely on what you can potentially do better than any other organization is the only path to greatness. This is the only way that we can persevere for another 50 years with the next generation of Ybarras coming up through the ranks.

The Original Tex-Mex

      For over 60 years now, El Toro has been the livelihood of the same family. Just to put that into perspective; when they opened the doors of their first restaurant in the 1960s here in La Porte, Tex-Mex food was just up and coming, making El Toro one of the few original Tex-Mex restaurants still in business.

     From the very beginning it was a family business. Our founder, Eugene Ybarra, opened his first Mexican food restaurant with his uncle in 1960. With no money he had to put a lien on his furniture to even afford to go into the restaurant business. He started with $1,200 to purchase a closed down barbecue place and opened his first restaurant in La Porte, called “La Siesta.”

     He did not like the name “La Siesta” so it simply became “La Porte.” The name El Toro came a year later in 1961, when Eugene purchased a restaurant in Clute, TX named “El Toro.” He bought the restaurant because he liked the name and because he “really wanted the sign.” In fact, he liked it so much that he renamed the La Porte location to “El Toro.”

     Mr. Ybarra married and was about to start a family. His 8 children would later grow up in the restaurants and learn the trade from a very young age. They would play in the warehouses, help out in the kitchen after school. They were always involved in the restaurant from scraping masa, making tamales, frying tortilla chips, washing dishes, bussing tables, or chopping onions. Mr. Ybarra never had to “force” any of them to be part of the restaurant. They wanted to be there because it was a part of their life, and as a result, they are the ones running the El Toro restaurants today. Roland, Moses, and Eric continue the family business in line with the values of their father. The other brothers have gone on to be successful with their own locations: Iguana Joe’s, Gringos, Jimmy Changas, The Lunch Box, Burger Libre, and Johnny Tamales.

     Throughout his lifetime, Mr. Ybarra purchased restaurants that were struggling and would turn them into successful “El Toro” locations. He was always striving to improve his restaurants. His goal was to serve better food, make guests feel at home, liven up the atmosphere, deliver smiling service and lead them to the Lord if he got the opportunity. All ideals and standards he would pass on to his children. We still live by these ideals and standards at El Toro today. In the spirit of Mr. Ybarra, we never settle and never stop making every effort to refine what we do best.

Extraordinary Experiences for Guests

     Mr. Ybarra’s mission for his restaurants was to create extraordinary experiences for his guests to enjoy the best Tex-Mex around. To fulfill that mission, he refused to use anything but the freshest ingredients. It’s a standard that our guests and regulars have come to know and love.

     Being the best in the food industry was not enough for Mr. Ybarra. When he wasn’t satisfied with the quality and the taste of the products that was offered by his suppliers, he started to make his own in-house products. He started by making his own tortillas and chips so that they would live up to his exceptional standards. He named this business El Matador. Since then El Matador has always produced El Toro’s flour and corn tortilla products in-house so that we may serve our guests fresher and tastier dishes. We continue to make the best tortilla products in the Baytown area and supply to other restaurants as well. Currently El Matador products are being sold over 4 states and overseas in Jordan.

     The Ybarra Family are aware of how blessed that they have been allowed to sustain in the restaurant industry for so long. They firmly believe that their business belongs to God and are grateful to be the stewards of it as long as the Lord permits. This means that we will use as much as we can of what we have been given, to give back to our community and the employees. Without this strong commitment our restaurants would not be what they are today.

     Throughout our 60 years of history we have opened up restaurants so that we can continue to employ those who need jobs in the area and a means for them to provide for their families. We continue to strive to provide food and service like no others. In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, thanks to our unstoppable and relentless teams at all of our locations, we were some of the first restaurants able to open our doors directly after the storm. We used that opportunity to help the community get through the terrible destruction by offering food to shelters, families in need, and first responders.

      When Covid hit and we had to shut down, we did not lay off a single employee; unless they wanted to be, but instead put money back into our locations by painting, cleaning, or upgrading. This kept everyone busy. Not only did none of our managers take a pay cut but we gave all the hourly employees a raise so that they could supply for their families. This way, when we were able to open back up, we could do so with a full staff.

Guided by Faith

     Mr. Ybarra’s faith guided him how he ran the restaurants and that faith continues to guide Roland, Moses, and Eric as they continue to carry on their father’s legacy. We seek to honor the Word of God in everything we do, from uniting friends, families and communities over a delicious, well-prepared meals, and to giving our employees the opportunity to grow and flourish.

     Today there are 6 El Toro locations across the state of Texas: 3 in Baytown, (Garth, Decker & Bayway), one in Palestine, our original La Porte location, and the first to carry the El Toro name in Clute. We continue to serve our famous Tex-Mex staples; many of which are still made with the original recipes, for over 60 years. However, with new leadership and the third generation of Mr. Ybarra beginning to take part in the business, we will continue to evolve Tex-Mex with unique new dishes.

     Our founder, Mr. Ybarra, passed away September 4, 2017. Labor Day of all days. I had the honor of officiating his funeral where over 450 people showed up to pay their respects. This was of great sorrow for all of us but because of his faith we can rejoice at the same time.

     We see amazing things happening all over the communities that our restaurants serve and have become integral part of. We have families coming to our restaurants where multiple generations have “grown-up” with us. Some of our guests have been eating at El Toro for 30, 40 and even 50+ years. They now have the opportunity to pass their legacy of dining with us, and on to their grandchildren.

     Thank you again for allowing me to tell our story and it is story that is still be written.

OUR VISION IS…

To serve as faithful stewards for God as we work to unite friends, families, and communities while providing our employees with the opportunity to find their passion.

OUR MISSION…

To create an extraordinary experience for our guest to enjoy the best Tex-Mex around through superior standards and service excellence.