Decades of Serving Washington

1. Cuautla, Jalisco

   Where it began

   Jose ‘Pepe’ Ramos grew up in Cuautla, a small farm village in the state of Jalisco, Mexico where his father owned a grocery store. At age 12, having completed the 6th grade, Pepe had to leave school to help his father run the store so his other siblings would have more opportunities. From working with his father, he acquired a foundation of skills — buying, selling, dealing with people, and working hard.

2. 1973

   Arriving in Seattle

   In 1973, Pepe arrived in Seattle. With a few pesos in his pocket and unable to speak a word of English, he began work as a dishwasher in his cousin’s restaurant. He worked a 4 to 11 am shift at Todd Shipyard and then went to his second job at the restaurant. Working his way from dishwasher, to cook, to chef he was able to save $1,000.

3. 1974

   The first Azteca

   In 1974, with his cousin’s blessing, he opened a small 24 seat restaurant in Burien, WA.

   Visit the original in Burien
4. The family grows

   A family business

   Pepe eventually earned the money to bring the rest of his family to the United States. His mother, Camerina, enhanced the menu with her authentic family recipes, and sister Lidia would make all the tamales by hand. With a lot of hard work and perseverance, his wife and three brothers, Hector, Jaime and Victor worked together to open additional restaurants.

“Offer good dependable food at reasonable prices and treat your employees well so they treat customers well!”

Pepe’s recipe for success