The tale Maribel Garcia tells is the sort of story that becomes a legend as years pass.



It’s the story of a boy in Mexico with 17 siblings. He begins working at five years of age to help his family meet expenses. The boy’s parents can’t fund his education, so he moves to the United States where he works in restaurants, cooking.



Eventually he saves enough money to open his own small restaurant, where he greets, serves, cooks, and busses.



Eventually he can hire his cousin, and eventually he returns to Mexico to marry.

Together, he and his wife, with family, create a successful business.



Maribel Garcia tells this tale as one intimately familiar with the details because the man who opened the small, South Tacoma Way Mexican restaurant in 1978 is her father, Arturo Garcia.



The “hole in the wall” he created nearly 30 years ago as a one-man enterprise has become three restaurants to-date: two sit-down Moctezuma’s on 56th Street in South Tacoma and in Gig Harbor, and Taqueria la Fiesta, a fast-food enterprise in the Tacoma Mall, all together employing 60 people.



As with his first employee — his cousin, still employed — Arturo continues his tradition of employing family, with eldest daughter Maribel, who completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing, serving as general manager of the Tacoma location, and with son Bernardo, who received his bachelor’s degree in business, serving as general manager of the Gig Harbor location. Arturo Jr., youngest of the Garcias, is still completing high school.



Maribel recalls what she considers to be her father’s “major focus” as she and her siblings grew up: “For us to go to college,” she says, “he wished he had it.”

With or without the college education, the Garcias have figured out it takes hard work to succeed.



Maribel remembers, even as a child, valuing the work her parents put into the business. Now on the working side of things, she sums it up: “It’s challenging work, but rewarding.”



She tells tales of couples coming in for first dates and years later coming in with children. Those are the happy stories. She sees the sad stories, those of regulars, couples, coming in together three to four times a week and then going missing, only to reappear as single diners.



Though knowing that the restaurant has played the role of family dining room for many customers, a place they felt comfortable coming in and sharing their lives, touches Maribel, she also talks about the difficulties: “You have to be open every day; you have to be on-call to solve the problem. … It’s fun, challenging, and rewarding, all at the same time.”



Her father sees the same rewards and adds his rewards: “being able to offer jobs to the community … being able to see the success of the business, seeing the fruits of your labor after those long years.”



Arturo reflects where he’s come after a journey of nearly 30 years: “It’s hard work, needing dedication and risk-taking. You’re making a product, selling a service … there are a lot of factors involved.”



Factors that have proved to be hurdles have been financing during the first years, long hours, and finding the right staff.



“Start with a good product,” Arturo advises. “Treat your staff well, so they’ll treat your customers well. Have a clean restaurant.”



More than that, Arturo advises taking risks and working to grow.



“In order to stay in business and be competitive, you have to be better than your competition.”

To do that, Moctezuma’s constantly works and re-works their menu, with yearly trips to Mexico and matriarch Magdalena’s involvement in creating spices that create dishes customers will love.



Mostly, though, success is about atmosphere. Arturo says he emphasizes to his employees, “treat customers like you treat friends and family in your home.”



He equates the hospitality business to show business; in the case of the show, leave audiences clapping. Arturo’s goal for his restaurants: “Make every guest happy. Exceed their expectations.”