For Norma and Luis Lopez, owners of the Fort Collins Mexican restaurant Pueblo Viejo, combining family and business is something of an art.
With two of their four children coming into the world as they expanded their restaurant locations, it’s been a family affair from the start. The family business has continued its legacy with the oldest son now running the Windsor Pueblo Viejo.
Staff have also become their family, often staying on for more than 15 years — a length of time practically unheard of in the restaurant industry.
Pueblo Viejo is closely tied with the Fort Collins community, where they opened their first location more than 20 years ago. Regulars come weekly and say goodbye to the owners before they leave. Even outside the restaurant, they greet Norma and Luis by name.
"Fort Collins has really opened its arms to us,” Norma said. "Customers become like your family.”
A family affair
Norma and Luis met in Chicago at Norma’s cousin’s wedding while she was still in high school. They dated, married, and had their first child before moving to Oregon. There, they began their culinary adventure at a restaurant Luis’s in-laws owned — Norma was a hostess and Luis a busser. In 1999, the pair moved to Colorado Springs where they managed Mazatlan Mexican Restaurant.
Just three years later and after having their second child, the pair celebrated the opening of their own place in Fort Collins’s Old Town Square on New Year’s Eve.
Their third child came before they planned a second restaurant, and so on until they had four children and five restaurants in Fort Collins, Colorado Springs, and Windsor. Today, they own two locations in Fort Collins and Windsor.
Building a business
Norma and Luis jumped head-first into the business, trusting their time in the restaurant industry to guide them. They were surprised when a friend warned them that the first few years would be a make-or-break time.
“You learn the hard way, and we did,” Norma said. “We’re strong together.”
Norma attracted new customers with English and Spanish radio ads and coupons, and the duo kept the new business with good service and authentic, comforting, and consistent food.
Now a 20-year Fort Collins success, the couple’s tenacity has produced a local institution. With a spacious event space and bountiful bar, it’s a space to celebrate special occasions and make memories.
Just as the restaurant is closely tied to the Lopez family, it’s become a place for Fort Collins families to gather, celebrate, and remember good times.
Customers tell the Lopezes’ that Pueblo Viejo was the first-date spot where they met their spouse. Others remember it as the place they came for regular meals with a grandparent who’s now deceased. Where a group of girlfriends want to come to ring in their 21st birthdays with margaritas.
Norma attributes their strong community standing to hard work and resilience.
“You have to work hard for what you want,” she said. “You can’t throw in the towel and quit — you have to keep going. There’s always a way.”
Finding security
When your business feels like family — and sometimes is your family — you take challenges even more seriously.
With the past couple extreme winters, customers started to stay home. So, Luis and Norma decided to pursue a business line of credit. They were referred to Elevations Credit Union from Kelley Spight, who helped them buy their home before she became an Elevations mortgage lender.
They found Elevations Business Banking Sales Manager Nadine Trujillo-Rogers positive, fast, and flexible. Trujillo-Rogers quickly found the Lopez’s a line of credit that served their needs, giving the family a sense of safety.
“I think what they needed was someone to care about them and advocate for them,” Trujillo-Rogers said. “It’s about community.”
Norma said she’s seen extremely fast response times at Elevations, above her expectations for a financial institution.
“She (Trujillo-Rogers) went out of her way to help,” Norma said. “Elevations is very welcoming and understanding. We’re really happy here.”
A taste of Mexico
With interiors of traditional Mexican wood imported from Guadalajara and their wall art and logo created by Mexican artists, Pueblo Viejo is rooted in authenticity.
The high ceilings, dark wood and patterned brick arches offer a welcoming and timeless atmosphere — the kind of place you can come for a casual bite, weekly family meal, or a celebratory dinner.
With a menu easily topping 70 dishes, the comforting cuisine and generous portions honor the restaurant’s Mexican roots. Reviews often praise the staff’s friendliness, fast service, and complimentary chips, salsa, and bean dip. Cuisine consistency is a point of pride for Norma and Luis, who want their regulars' favorites to taste the same every time.
As for the logo of a wheelbarrow resting beside an old house, it comes from the painting created by a Mexican artist that hangs in the Fort Collins restaurant.
The name Pueblo Viejo, which means Old Town, is something the Lopez’s thought of before realizing the neighborhood was also named Old Town. It seems the restaurant was always meant to be right here in Fort Collins.
"Fort Collins has really opened its arms to us.” - Norma Lopez
“Elevations is very welcoming and understanding. We’re really happy here.” - Norma Lopez