W
HEN RESTAURATEURS TALK ABOUT WHY THEY OPENED THEIR BUSINESSES, MANY HAVE A GLOSSY STORY ABOUT FOLLOWING A PASSION FOR FOOD OR LIFELONG DREAM TO HELM A HIGH-PROFILE KITCHEN. But of
Ric
Serrano,
Serrano’s
Restaurants,
CEO
Mexican
doesn’t.
His
explanation for the start of his family’s restaurant in 1979 is humbly honest. And refreshing. At the time, the Serranos’ once-thriving clothing department store business was losing the battle to a new crop of malls popping up throughout the Valley. The popular family with deep Chandler roots and a strong history of community involvement looked for a new venture it could put its well-respected name on.
Eva and Ernie Serrano
The Serrano family in the early 1990s
“It was somewhat survival. The clothing business’s days were numbered. The writing was on the wall and it wasn’t going to be long,” Ric recalls of the decision to transition into the restaurant industry. That move would sprout a family business that thrived over decades amidst competition, changing consumer preferences and countless other factors beyond the Serranos’ control. This year, the mom-and-pop restaurant started by Ric’s parents Ernie and Eva, and which is now run by their children, celebrates its 40th anniversary. But this uncommon feat is not the only one the family celebrates. The family’s business lineage dates back to 1919, when Ernie’s brother Albert and his brother Luis opened a dry goods store called
Both are accomplishments that the family with
the Serrano Brothers Popular Store in Chandler. Over time, it evolved
an impressive entrepreneurial pedigree doesn’t
into the clothing store Serrano’s Department Stores.
take for granted.
From the Popular Store to Serrano’s Mexican Restaurants, the
“We’re very blessed that we’ve made it this far,” Ric
business’ survival under the Serrano name spans 100 years, making
says. “Having 40 years in the restaurant business is
it the oldest family business in the city.
an achievement in itself. It makes us very proud. It’s
TIME LINE
not easy to be an independent business, at any time.” More than a century ago, Albert and Luis migrated from Sonora, Mexico, to Tucson. The brothers
made their way north and settled in a little farming community called Chandler and opened their Popular Store. They started with $10,000 worth of inventory and sold dry goods, clothing, and Boy Scouts and P.E. uniforms to a community of about 1,000, mostly comprised of farming families. At its peak, Serrano’s Department Stores had five locations throughout the Valley. The second
generation was now fully at the helm and ready to pass it on to the third. When it was time to foray into a new industry, they relied on Eva’s culinary skills and family recipes from
Ric’s grandmothers as the base for the downtown Chandler restaurant, originally named La Casa Serrano.
1979
CONTINUED >
1996
2005
Oct. 7, 2012
Ernie and Eva Serrano open
The Chandler Chamber of
Arizona State University
Serrano’s closes all of its
La Casa Serrano in Chandler,
Commerce names Serrano’s
honors Serrano’s with the
restaurants so employees
the first location of what
its Small Business of the Year.
Spirit of Enterprise Award.
can be with their families.
would be known as Serrano’s
This Sunday tradition
Mexican Restaurants.
continues today. October 2019 | Chandler Lifestyle
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