Unexpected expansion

When Oscar Marquez was 18 years old, he made a promise to himself: to never open another restaurant in his life. But for about the last 20 years, Marquez has been successfully running El Molino, a restaurant in Waseca which serves Mexican dishes. 

 

Marquez’ acquaintance with food service began when he was 16, when he and his brother started working in a fast food restaurant in Illinois. 

 

“My brother and I, we decided to open a restaurant when we were 18 years old. Obviously we knew how to cook, but we decided we wanted to try. We put in all the money we had. Six months after, we closed,” he remembers. 

 

The ill-fated business was a Mexican restaurant in Chicago. Reflecting on the closing, Marquez says he realized their lack of experience had been a major factor. That’s when he made a promise to himself, “I will never open another restaurant in my whole life.” 

 

So Marquez moved to Detroit and worked in a factory where helped build engine blocks for motors and cars. He worked there for a year and a half before he decided to move back to Mexico. There he ran his uncle’s farm for three years. 

 

“They paid me okay, but not enough for three people,” Marquez said, speaking of himself, his wife and daughter.

 

His brother was working in Mason City, Iowa, at a restaurant, so Marquez called him in search of opportunities. 

 

“I remember I called and said, ‘You have work for me?’ And he said, ‘Yeah, you want to come over and work as a waiter?’”

 

The opportunity to buy El Molino came to light for Marquez in 2006. A friend from Texas needed a ride to New Ulm, so Marquez asked him if he wanted to stop and see their mutual friend, who owned the restaurant at the time. Marquez remembers asking the owner, “How’s Waseca?” To which the owner, his friend, replied, “You want to buy it?”

 

“I never guessed we would want to buy this place,” Marquez said. 

 

If he didn’t sell it, the friend revealed, he would still be closing the place the following month, in April. He and Marquez made a deal and Marquez moved in on May 1, his birthday. 

 

Marquez describes being a bit disappointed at first; business at the new restaurant was slower than it had been in Mason City, where there were “people in and out all day long. And when you come here, two or three people, then nothing. Then two or three people, then nothing.” 

 

Gradually though, Marquez said it began to get better. 

 

It was an advantage that he and his family could live in the apartment connected to the restaurant, although Minnesota winters were a bit of a surprise. He tells of a time when his oldest daughter, 4 at the time, seemed to have disappeared from the apartment. She was soon spotted outside. “She had put on snow boots, jacket and just underwear,” Marquez said, laughing. 

 

There were people in the restaurant when his daughter came out, just to say “Hi.” He said it remains one of his good memories. 

 

But Marquez is grateful for a lot more as well. With four businesses in addition to El Molino Waseca, good employees and always the opportunity to socialize, Marquez is thankful for the community’s support. 

 

After starting El Molino Waseca, Marquez opened El Molino Waterville, Oscar’s in Waseca, Grand Plaza Northfield and Grand Plaza Faribault. 

 

“The challenge is that you need to update. You’re not going to stay in the same place, you need to keep changing the menus,” Marquez said. “But we’re lucky to have really good employees.” 

 

Between the five restaurants, Marquez counted around 80 employees. His wife runs Oscar’s, his brother runs El Molino in Waterville, and he has partners in Faribault and Northfield. 

 

“I think part of what goes well with the partnership is respect for each other.” He goes on to say each partner needs to recognize and respect the contributions and needs of the other partner. 

 

But Marquez’s favorite part of all is the opportunity to meet new people. 

 

“I like to socialize,” he said. “I like talking to people a lot. I like to cook too, but what I like most is to talk with people.” 

 

While Marquez believes most of the community already knows a lot about him, he said he wants the community to know he appreciates how well they work with and support the restaurant. 

 

For now though, Marquez plans to slow down and find opportunities to spend time with his two daughters, Camila, 18, and Abril, 21, who have moved away from home to attend college.

 

“I want to slow down a little bit and see what’s going on first,” he explains.