OUR FOUNDER’S STORY

El Asador Restaurant chain is owned by the Quintero Family that emigrated from San Luis Potosi, Mexico in 1987. The head of the family, Raul Quintero arrived in Houston, Texas in 1987 and worked as a carpenter. He then, moved to Seattle in 1989 where he continued the same trade. The following year, he decides to relocate to Chicago, Illinois where he met his wife, Edith Martinez. Raul Quintero was a man of many trades in Chicago. Not only did he continue his carpentry work, but he was also a gardener, sold Renaware products and played the drums with various Mexican bands. One day Raul reflected upon his life and asked himself if carpentry and yard work was what he really wanted do the rest of his life. He then decides to start save money to start a business although, he was unsure of what type of business it would be.

Shortly, after he started saving money, Nancy Quintero, his eldest daughter, told him that she was interested in working as a waitress at a restaurant that was called La Iguana. After a while of working there, she became aware that the restaurant owner was planning to retire and was selling the restaurant. Knowing of her father’s interest in opening a business, she quickly informed her father. Raul was always very fond of the memories of helping his grandma sell her delicious food back in Mexico. So he realizes what his passion was, cooking. In love with his wife Edith’s traditional cooking from Puebla, Mexico and his grandmother’s recipes, the idea of opening a restaurant was born. On November 14th, 2006, Raul decides to buy La Iguana, that was renamed to El Asador Restaurant the following year, in 2007.

Although Raul was now a business owner, his business was still not in the position to take care of his family, therefore, he continued to work as a laborer. Yet, everything changed when he had an accident at work while doing carpentry. He was left handicapped for a year in April 2007. Throughout this year, the family faced financial struggles due to Raul’s inability to work and the the overdue compensation of Raul’s accident. One day, Raul simply hit bottom and left the future of his business and his family’s in the hands of God. Just when everyone thought there was nothing else to do, Raul receives the very much anticipated check that would resolve the financial burden the Quintero’s were facing. Three years later with the continued support from Raul’s family, he open in 2010 his second location and in 2016 his third location.

In 2017, not only does the Quintero family decide to cross the state border to Wisconsin but, also to embark in a new restaurant concept that included Mexican seafood as well. Due to, the success of this concept in Wisconsin, Oscar Quintero, his only son, feeling home sick after helping his dad’s new restaurant take off, decided to continue his dad’s legacy and open a restaurant closer to home called Mariscos El Asador.