el viejo tony history

    Jose Antonio Garcia came to the States as a teenager and has worked in the restaurant business since the age of 16. I took him 20 years to own is restaurant.
    Garcia's first job was washing dishes at Ninfa’s in Houston, working there from 1992 to 1994
    He went on to work for Rancho Grande in Port Arthur from 1995 to 2011. He started as a busser, then became waiter and worked his way up to manager.
    "The owners there taught me everything about the business and how to manage a restaurant. They helped me, and I have so much respect for them” Garcia said.
    In 2011 Garcia and a friend opened his first restaurant in DeRidder, Louisiana called Mi Rancho. The first year and a half was a struggle, and they were afraid. They almost closed the Restaurant, but instead borrowed money from friends and family to keep it open. ''After a while, the community started to support us and the business became stable,"
    Because of Mi Rancho becoming successful, I got the opportunity to open my second restaurant, El Viejo Tony, in Port Arthur." El Viejo Tony, 4300 Highway 365, has become an important entity in the local dining scene since opening in 2016.

    Trusted team

    Sister-in-law Juana Magana helped Garcia manage his first restaurant in Louisiana. She traveled two hours to get there and two hours back each day for five years.

    She showed Garcia how dedicated and loyal she was, and Garcia promised Magana she would become his business partner if he opened a restaurant in Port Arthur. Garcia kept his word, and Magana is the co-owner of El Viejo Tony.

    ”She is my business partner and I involve her in all business ventl1res I take on,” he said. Magana never imagined she would be a restaurant owner. She comes from a family of 10 siblings, and her mother always taught the children to work hard to achieve want they wanted.

    Every day I tool that long commute to and from Louisiana I thought about want my mother instilled in me. That encouraged me to keep working hard” she said. “There will be people that do not believe in you. A restaurant Owner told me once that I would never have a job that was better than being a hostess. I used that as motivation and I proved him wrong. My brother in law Tony was the one to believe in me and I am grateful.

    One of the newest ventures led by Garcia and Magana is expanding el Viejo Tony to Beaumont and Suplhur They are also growing agave in Mexico to get into the tequila business.

    El Viejo Tony’s first month of restaurant traffic after opening was slow and the week opening the restaurant almost caught on fire because of an electrical issue. It closed for a week to get the problem fixed.

    Garcia said he and his family are blessed the community chose to support El Viejo Tony through its beginning and development into a successful restaurant.

    family affair

    Wife Gloria helped Garcia with his first restaurant and worked with his for years. Then they decided to start a family and she became pregnant with their first child. She now takes care of the children and their home but still manages advertising and marketing for El Viejo Tony’s.

    When it comes to getting involved with the community, Garcia likes to help where he can, because he and his family come from humble beginnings.

    “We like to get with the schools, local sports leagues and also help front line workers getting involved a much as we can because the community has been supportive towards us,” Garcia said.

    She encourages mothers to never give up on their dreams or goals.
    “Working with my husband has been a pleasant experience,” she said. “He works in the kitchen. I work with the employees over customer service. We disagree sometimes but we do not argue. Instead we hear each other’s opinions and then decide what is best and how we can make the business better. We are constantly learning from each other.”

    Garcia said he and his family are blessed the community chose to support El Viejo Tony through its beginning and development into a successful restaurant.