Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Beto Rodarte. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Beto thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love for you to start by sharing your thoughts about the pros and cons of family businesses.

My wife and I actually met in the restaurant industry as servers. So, when I decided to become a chef, passion for the restaurant business something we shared. As our kids grew, because they were home schooled and had a flexible schedule, they enjoyed coming to work to see dad at the Corporate Test Kitchen and watch him cook and create. Growing up in the restaurant business and playing with food and trying new flavors and textures and ingredients was second nature to them.

Nevertheless, I never pushed them to follow in my footsteps. I always insisted they follow their own passions and not to worry about the money. However, when our son Julian decided to become a chef, I tried hard to discourage him because of how hard this lifestyle is. But a few years after he graduated from the same school I attended, the Culinary Institute of America, an opportunity presented itself to open up a restaurant in Trinity Groves with Phil Romano, a partner I had previously had great success with when we opened Cozymel’s restaurant in the early 90’s.

Even though I was pretty hesitant to start another new concept, I also saw it as a great opportunity to show Julian the entrepreneurial side of the business. So we put our heads together and came up with a plan to create a Mexican concept that would set ourselves apart from the hundreds of existing restaurants in the metroplex. I believe we make a great team because I get to use my years of experiences from the corporate world and Julian gives new fresh, modern twists to our dishes. My wife, Beth, keeps us organized on the business side and is a steady support and cheerleader for everyone involved.

Obviously, we are very much hands on in the day to day production, service and management of the restaurant. We love serving and entertaining our guests. I believe that each one of us puts our best foot forward using the talents God has blessed us with. The other side of owning a family restaurant is the impact we get to have on our staff and the local community, whether guests or vendors. There is truly nothing more rewarding than seeing our guests enjoy our food and service and having the opportunity to create jobs for young men and women furthering themselves in this industry.

As a family, we have been very blessed. We are trying to spread those blessings, and create a positive work environment for our employees to thrive and enjoy playing restaurant with us.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

Beto and Son is a chef owned and inspired Next Generation Mexican Restaurant owned and operated by Beto Rodarte and son Julian Rodarte. Established in 2016, Beto and Son has been serving the community in West Dallas in Trinity Groves. It’s a destination spot where guests come to experience our nitrogen cocktails and unique Mexican food. For starters, we are known for our interactive presentations, such as our famous nitrogen margaritas, fresh tableside guacamole and unique noodle bowls.

Have you ever had to pivot?

The time in my life when I had to pivot. Early in my career after experiencing some success, it kind of went to my head and I started a small concept in the mid 2000’s with partners that had little restaurant experience. Early success went to my head and I thought I could go out on my own. In addition to an economic recession as well as a bad business deal with a contractor who forced us to lose money before we ever got the restaurant off the ground, we didn’t recover from it. This forced me to leave that concept and go back to the corporate world, but many valuable lessons were learned by the whole family. And it served to bring us even closer together. This restaurant was where Julian had his first job and where the passion was first ignited.

Looking back, though it was difficult, it made us stronger, bonded us more deeply and sparked a hidden desire for us to redeem these years and that is how we ended up where we are today.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

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Contact Info:

• Website: www.betoandson.com
• Instagram: @betoandson, @chefjulianrodarte
• Facebook: Beto & Son at Trinity Groves
• Linkedin: Beto Rodarte, Julian Rodarte
• Twitter: @ChefBetoRodarte, @ChefJulianR
• Yelp: Beto & Son

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