Mention Fayetteville Mexican restaurant La Hacienda to many area residents, and they’re likely to have a memory about going there with their family, or a memory about the family that runs the place.
As the restaurant approaches its 25th birthday next year, La Hacienda remains a family-run business, now managed primarily by brothers Alejandro and Jesus Rodriguez and their father, Jose, who took a giant leap in July 2000 when he opened the business at the intersection of Zion and Crossover. Sisters Ana and Paloma also help operate the restaurant.
Jose Rodriguez and his wife, Maria, had worked together at the Marriott in downtown Houston, and Jose worked at a restaurant as well; he dreamed of opening his own place someday.
“He learned the business from the bottom up, starting as a dishwasher in Houston, then as cook, and a busser, then bartender and finally as a waiter,” Alejandro explained. “When we first moved here I was 3, and my parents worked at Superior Wheels in South Fayetteville. It was hard work, and both worked 12-hour overnight shifts” while raising their family.
When the couple opened La Hacienda in summer of 2000, all the permits and paperwork requirements for opening a restaurant were overwhelming, Alejandro remembered. But Fayetteville did what it so often does: made them feel at home.
“As he was getting everything ready to open and seeking all the necessary documents and permits, along the way, there was always someone to help him — whether it was someone he talked to at the city or someone he’d met at the restaurant, we always had this strong sense that, in Fayetteville, there are humble and friendly people who are willing to help,” Alejandro said.
“Fayetteville has always given us a good family vibe. We slowly started building the restaurant up and building a customer base and getting to know people,” he said. “Sometimes we've been clueless, but God willing, there’s always been someone in our path to guide us because at the beginning, we didn’t know anything about opening or running a restaurant.”
When the Rodriguez family first moved to Arkansas, Jose was more of an observer than a talker, Alejandro recalled.
“When we opened the restaurant, he became very outgoing, freely and happily greeting customers and speaking his mind,” Alejandro said, laughing. “People who know him now don't believe me when I tell them my dad was timid at one point.”
As Jose came out of his shell, the restaurant thrived. Customers became regulars and then good friends. Alejandro, now 31, has grown up with their regulars, and the Rodriguezes frequently hear families in their dining room reminiscing about late loved ones who preferred La Hacienda over any other restaurant.
“Kids who have grown up coming here, or adults whose hair is turning gray, will mention to me how much our restaurant means to their family, or meant a lot to their parent who has passed on — some people get pretty emotional about it,” Alejandro said.
“And that's why we take such good care of our customers and treat everyone like family. Don't get me wrong: We also do our best on the food and the drinks and everything else, but we really want them to have a good sense of their home when our customers come here.”
The Rodriguez family — which also owns San Miguel Mexican Grill & Bar on Front Street, opened in 2014 — has considered other cities for their restaurants, Alejandro said. But so far, no other place has measured up, he added. “Being in Fayetteville is just a step above. It’s got this magic that other cities don’t have.”
"Fayetteville...has got this magic that other cities don't have."