Casa Fiesta family
story by KC McGinnis
José Chavez balances a plastic plate on a beer tap while eating a simple breakfast: an enchilada and Mexican rice. He eats most of his meals here in the kitchen of Casa Fiesta, the restaurant he started 20 years ago.
"I don't cook much at home," José says. "I'm here most of the time."
José runs Casa Fiesta in Frankfort and two other locations. Without a wife or children, José shares most of his life with his employees and loyal customers, many of whom have been eating at Casa Fiesta since it opened. Their visits are often as much a chance to socialize with José as they are to eat, José says.
"They come to see me," he says. "It's like a family."
José makes a point of visiting as many tables as he can, even during restaurant rush hours. He greets the Grahams, who have family nights at Casa Fiesta every Wednesday. At a nearby booth, Valerie Smith and Janet Kerrick make up half of "Margarita Mamas," a group they started just after they became mothers. They've become less loyal to the name since they became grandmothers. Now, they order light beers instead. Juan and Kimberly Rojas, who had their first date at Casa Fiesta, feed their son, Connor, 8 months, as waiters rush by.
"He knows everybody, and everybody knows José," says Lisa Owens, who has been coming to Casa Fiesta since it opened.
José says some customers ask for their favorite servers by name. But José says he is hesitant to open a fourth location because he is unsure he will be able to hire enough help.
After the restaurant closes, José drives home down a gravel road to his cabin-style house on the outskirts of Frankfort, where he occasionally hunts deer. He loves his home, but José doesn't spend much time there.
He'd rather be with his Casa Fiesta family.
The regular kitchen staff at Casa Fiesta, Jesus Cabrera, (from left) Francisco Sanchez and Juan Costo, prepare chicken to cook. Finding employees is getting harder, says restaurant owner José. "Nobody wants to work anymore," he says.
A tableful of fajitas and margaritas are enjoyed by regular patrons Mike, Judie and Jamie Raglend of Shelbyville.
José installs new blinds at Casa Fiesta with the help of head cook Salvador Bustos. The Casa Fiesta building was first a McDonald's and then an Italian restaurant before José bought it.
Juan and Kimberly Rojas feed their 8-month-old son, Connor, at Casa Fiesta.The couple had their first date at the restaurant in 2009.
After a late night at his restaurant, José rests for a moment before returning to his customers. Most days he arrives at Casa Fiesta by 10 a.m. and doesn't leave until after 10 p.m.
José greets Jerry Stephens at Casa Fiesta. José spends most of his time greeting customers and sitting down with them. He says most of them know him by name.
After another 12-hour work day, José unwinds at his home on the outskirts of Frankfort. "You can have something like this," José says about his idyllic home, "but you got to work hard."