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closeThe wait is over
Three years after finding a location in downtown Puyallup and doing massive renovations, the owners of Mazatlan Mexican restaurant are ready for business
Neil Pierson/of The Herald
Turning away customers coming through the doors looking for a meal has become a daily ritual for Alfonso Quiroz, one of the owners of the new Mazatlan Mexican restaurant in downtown Puyallup.
“We’ve been feeling welcomed, given that we haven’t opened the doors yet,” said Quiroz, who will be managing the restaurant alongside his wife, Martha, and Andres Cardenas, his uncle and founder of the Mazatlan franchise that encompasses 12 locations.
“Every day I’ve got to turn away 10, 12 people.”
Alfonso Quiroz grew up in Puyallup, attending Wildwood Elementary School and Ferrucci Junior High School before graduating from Rogers High School. He went on to serve an eight-year stint at the Enumclaw Mazatlan during the late 1980s and early ‘90s. That’s where he gained a passion for the restaurant industry, one that pushed him into ownership opportunities three years ago.
Quiroz had accepted an ownership role with a different Mazatlan branch but convinced Cardenas to invest in a new downtown Puyallup location after the old one shut down several years ago. Many downtown patrons migrated to the South Hill restaurant, where Cardenas and Martha Quiroz often worked together.
“A lot of the loyal Mazatlan fans would go up to South Hill and ask my uncle, ‘When are you going to open another one downtown?” Alfonso Quiroz said.
In February 2007, he found a vacant location at 106 S. Meridian and began negotiations for a lease. That process lasted a year, and after nine months of obtaining permits, the project began construction in September 2008.
“Everything that can go wrong, that can go sideways in a project, has gone wrong,” Quiroz said with a wry smile.
Quiroz refuses to point fingers but says 80 percent of the delays were beyond his control. He solicited the help of a good friend, Jose Anaya, to do the remodeling work while Quiroz focused on the numerous inspections and paperwork involved in opening a business. He calls Anaya his “right-hand man” and credits him for the restaurant’s completion.
“Without him this wouldn’t have happened,” Quiroz said. “He helped us cut a big chunk of money.”
City officials are aware of the time and money invested in the restaurant and are glad Quiroz pulled it off.
“We are so excited about Mazatlan being downtown,” Puyallup Mayor Kathy Turner said. “I feel very strongly that anchor restaurants bring more people downtown and bring more customers to all our stores.”
The new location won’t deviate from the Mazatlan brand in many respects. Quiroz said customers can expect the same menu items, from monster-sized burritos and enchiladas to sizzling fajitas, nachos and salads. Quality service is also a priority and much of the staff will be coming from other Mazatlan locations.
The most notable change is the atmosphere, Quiroz believes, because the wall colors present a more modern, laid-back vibe. The bar reflects those personalities, with many high-backed seats and four flat-screen televisions for patrons to enjoy along with their food. Cardenas was unequivocally on board with those changes, his nephew added.
“You’ve got to change with the times,” Quiroz said.
It’s the first time the Quirozes have worked together since they were newlyweds, but 16 years after exchanging vows Alfonso Quiroz believes their business partnership will be equally successful.
“She has been important as far as putting up with my stress,” he said of his wife.
While keeping the restaurant healthy from a financial aspect might be Quiroz’s key responsibility, he figures to hand those reins to his wife occasionally and return to his restaurant roots — the kitchen.
“I’ve been away for a while but I had good teachers. What you learn well you can’t forget.
“I’m going to try my best to please the customers,” he added. “People know what to expect from us. I know what they’re going to want from us.”