Episode Transcription: 

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roxo media house welcome back to fortitude everyone JW
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Wilson brinton Payne we are on location here at the lovely Joe T Garcia’s
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brinton we are in the house with the man the myth the legend Joe lanecart thank
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you from the show yes thank you for being here thank you thank you we finally after all this time and tracked
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him down got him to sit down for two seconds because the man’s got some stories and we’re going to learn about this place we’re in today first off
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thank you cap Tech’s Bank we’re not in the cap Tech studio today but without they make all this happen for us right thank you Mike thank you for cap tax for
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sure continue support get us out on location here in this beautiful day all right Joe let’s get to it how long has
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this place been around oh nothing 1935 35 yep that was a long time ago a long time ago been a few years started off as
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a barbecue joint right yes we’re sorry to win that front dining room that you know the old part that when you first walk in there was six tables of four in
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1935 and uh started with barbecue and then became uh you know added the
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Mexican food later on with my grandmother about what year was that uh the grandmother uh somewhere uh
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golly I know you’re gonna ask me that one uh it was a few years after that I’m sorry I don’t have the exactly that’s okay opened as a restaurant though it
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wasn’t your grandfather’s no my house or something as a restaurant we had the grocery store just right down the street
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okay parents did and then my grandmother kept wanting to cook and she would always cook for people who would come into the to the Little Deli that we used
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they know they would cater to the Swift Packing House which was right down the street yeah okay and um so anyway he
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goes well if this is what you want to do then we just need to open a restaurant so he did open one right here in the corner these were shotgun homes and he
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uh you know redid it and put it a couple of them together and made it into where we are today using the food from the
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grocery store and then you just he had the grocery store down the street but no it was a separate deal when once he
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opened this over here he shot the yeah is there a point in in the life of this place that they knew they had something
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special growing obviously we all know it what it is now but is there a point when they like oh my gosh this is actually
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doing this is gonna work well you know my grandfather you know he was a really smart guy my grandma mother just love
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the cook and so did my grandfather who’s loved to do the barbecue but you know they just knew he had something going he
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knew quite a few of the people of course a lot of the people that in the packing house and got to know a lot of people who would come out here and eat and uh
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kind of get us get us started right will you explain the lineage because not everyone so you’ve got the grandparents
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then talk about the the rest of the film where it comes down to is you know my grandparents that was my mother’s parents okay and that was hope Garcia
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line card and uh so her parents uh Jesse Garcia and Joe T uh who uh originally
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who started it uh then of course my mother’s siblings who helped in the in the restaurant back in the early days
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and so that would be in the 30s and 40s uh then uh years went by and you know uh
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her siblings kind of went and did their own kind of thing my my mother was the one who really just stayed behind with
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with my grandmother my grandfather when he passed away in 52 she stayed with it without a question so you know to keep
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the restaurant going and um of course back in those days they say Hey you know you might want to Second think this you
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know the women can’t keep this going you know it’s you know that kind of deal well she said well that just gave her another reason why I will show you yeah
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so my you know nose down kept it going with my grandmother and you know it was
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my with my father uh Paul lancard well that’s where Link card comes in okay uh so uh they you know they worked
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in the kitchen you know we were kids growing up course Landing oh two older brothers now there’s Lanny my oldest brother Ben David who passed away uh
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then there’s zarella my sister myself there’s Jesse Philip and Liz that’s the
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small family small family you know my I think my mom figured it out she goes I
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don’t want to have to hire out I just have a bunch of kids and we’ll put them to work yeah thank you very much we did and uh so uh
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you kept it going uh you know my grandfather opened it let’s go back a little bit again uh he opened that back
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dining room in the 40s uh and it was a banquet room and had you know parties and things like that uh and then kept it
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going like I said and then when he passed away my mom kept it going remember you always heard the stories
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well you had to go to the back dining room which you did you had to go through the kitchen to get to the back down and that was the only way he had the long
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banquet tables back then they called them picnic tables people would say and you would literally sit I mean we could
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be two people right here and there’d be somebody sitting right here right next to you but you know that’s how it was yeah people you know a lot of people
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said you know I remember those years Joe that what was wonderful about that is that I met my wife I met my husband I’ve
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you know I’ve met my friends we’ve been friends for 50 years we met back in those long tables back then and we just
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carried a conversation there you go you think that’s part of why this place is so special I mean you think about how
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many family events I mean this is the go-to this is where I mean you’ve got friends from out of town well we got to
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go here I mean not only is it beautiful and what you’ve done with the kind of the manicuring and the Landscaping but
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maybe something back to that I mean what do you think that it is about this you know um
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there’s no 10 there’s a lot of history here in this restaurant with other family members you know think of your
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family members uh I remember uh one Christmas year and I still remember it
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like yesterday and I was oh man it was so touching this man got up he goes I’ve been coming here on Christmas Eve for
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the last 40 years and then somebody else said how you know I’ve been coming for 30 years or 27 years and 20 years you
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know I mean I just thought and everybody just kept getting up and tell them how many years they’ve been coming you know
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and just like God that is I that was touching that was really cool that meant a lot to me and our family to hear
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something like that uh not just that story other stories you know Hey Joe you know fourth generation right here coming
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to your restaurant you know and I’m just like that that means a lot you know and I’ve said it all the time uh you know
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that that that little three-year-old that that baby right there that’s our future right there that we know we want
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to you know yes indeed see him coming up throwing pennies into the you know you always see the kid throwing pennies in
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the fountain you know that that’s I think that’s neat that’s awesome uh and then that’s very special and I I’d love
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it I love when they come out and they’re celebrating birthdays uh you know anniversaries uh you know they proposed
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here you know what I mean yeah I mean uh I love that all our
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customers have so much uh their his their their something important in their
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lives that they come and keep coming back year after year is it fair to say though Joe you were probably here before
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you even knew what here was he’s a little kid when you run around playing probably as a little kid oh there’s no question and we’re not running around
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here uh you know uh every one of my brothers can our sisters can have you a story you know Lenny has many uh and uh
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I can give you mine that you know little you know we would you know I remember we were when we were a little little we
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would sleep underneath the kitchen table until mom could put us to bet I mean we would be me and my brothers would be
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there laying you know sleep underneath the table and then when Mom had time she put us to sleep you know we we lived
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here at the restaurant we live right behind the restaurant yeah so no we literally grew up here uh mom put us to
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work when we were just little bitty and uh uh I remember helping my dad in the kitchen even if we were just putting
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guacamole on a plate you know uh when I was just putting uh water or somewhere on the tables and then you know moved on
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from there and you know uh waiting tables and so forth but uh I guess uh
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you know it when you were kind of saying when did it really hit you uh
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I never really thought about it I always hear people say stories you know uh you know I heard about you in California this and that you know and then I heard
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somebody really telling a serious story one time and tell them about how they heard about us this and that and I was like
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not Lee I I guess I never really thought about you know how far people would come
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to come in here and or how are they here about isn’t it yeah you know and um I
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was like golly yeah that’s pretty cool how have you managed to work with your family for this long I mean working with
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people is one thing but your family is another I don’t know why are you looking at me like that uh you know so you know who doesn’t bump
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heads you know that’s just all coming Lenny and I let’s go for instance there do we bump heads oh yeah we bump heads
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but once we do bumping heads you know hey what are you doing you know this and that and you know you forget about it you move on you know what I mean but
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that’s part of it you know we’re not going to be we’re not going to be on the same page not you know there’s no way not always I mean many times we are but
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we always want what’s best for the you know for the company you know and that’s the deal right and that’s part that’s
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great about bumping heads you know you’re gonna beat some disagreements I have my ideas he has hit but we’re going to work on that and we’re going to put it together we’re going to make the best
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idea we can yeah and make this work yeah so Joe tell us about what’s a daily or
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an average day for you here at Joe T’s we we all know and everybody knows that you are the man who’s on the grounds you’re actually doing the work you’re
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not sitting up at some high office overseas but you are here doing well doing work no I don’t like what’s your name just may there’s Landing I have
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other but Landon I definitely uh you know that are always here um and uh but my daily I mean I get up at four in the
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morning um come over here I actually uh come here get things going tell them what to
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do for the day the morning uh and you know my crew the setup and everything like that
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um uh do some things in the office uh run home actually I’ll run to the gym
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clean up go home have my coffee then come back nice and then I’m here for the rest of the day you know off and on or
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Friday Saturday and Sundays it’s straight through though what time do you guys stay open till on the weekend 11 o’clock on uh Monday uh Sunday through
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uh Thursday uh well Sunday we’re open all day Friday Saturday Sundays all day and then Monday through Thursday we’re
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closed for lunch between uh 2 30 and 5. close at 10. yeah uh but you know it’s a
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full day I mean Saturday I put in 15 hours you know you know you’re asking no I try not to do that and you know
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Landing the same way and we are getting older we’re trying to hand that out to my son who actually owned Joe my son who
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also helps us here and you know and uh we have others you know uh niece and nephews that work here Leah in the
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office and so forth Kelly you know helps this out and but you know but it’s kind of hard I can’t let it go
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people always say you know you know it’s like it’s Lane I just can’t let it go yes you know what I mean you mentioned before though you started recording how
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many pair of shoes you go through or how many miles you put on what’s what’s an app what tell us about the shoes the shoes I mean I you know I wear I I have
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to work I wear my new balance uh uh they work good for me and uh I go through I
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mean literally six pair every six months so pretty much 12 12 Hertz tennis shoe a year and Fitbit Fitbit uh yeah pretty
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much I average about seven miles a day incredible that’s probably why you look so darn well I don’t know about that idiots
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yeah I do you know they pay people do you hear I said I really do believe it or not well we were talking earlier when
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you’re saying you know did you just see and I said you know I literally taste all the food all the time I mean you
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know Hey Joe this is ready and I mean I’m in there and I put some you know I I’m always quality control you know we
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always check on it that’s why things that I like to throw in is that uh we’re all about quality I mean that’s number
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one uh we we don’t and skimp on that you know we don’t we don’t Veer away from
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the recipes that my grandmother made you know it’s always the best that we can put out there on the plate you know as a
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fajitas you know they’re tender lined or the chicken breasts we use there’s fresh chicken breasts you know what I mean we
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you know we don’t have any Frozen product right we don’t do anything frozen we get deliveries six days a week
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uh I mean so it’s a fresh product that you’re going to get on that table let’s stay on that subject of food because we
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know uh the food coming in the orders are going how many like you said six days a week deliveries are you how many
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cases of avocados per week is that something you could oh yeah I mean I go through oh my God uh just on the weekend
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I build up to just a week in 100 cases so if you say it though uh throughout
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the week uh minimum 150 cases a week is there one guy or is there a team of guacamole people for that kind of well I
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do have the team crew I mean believe it or not this is a big place which you know I mean I do have a team I have
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people who do nothing but do the avocados Tomatoes The the bell peppers that’s what their area is and I have
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people who do nothing but cutting the beef and the chicken and then we have a area a cool area where they do all the
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cutting and preparation and it’s a cool temperature room but they mean they’re in coats and stuff I mean we keep it so
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when they pull things out of the walking it’s in there so it stays refrigerated and once they do cutting it goes back
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into the refrigerator the the main refrigeration unit and they you know and it just keeps going and it’s it’s a
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machine can you break it down to enchiladas like the biggest day of enchilada sales one day oh my God I
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can’t break it down on that but somebody asked I mean I’ll go over over a ton of cheese a week a tuna cheese a week two
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thousand pounds of cheese oh yeah yeah yeah pretty much no question what about beef and chicken is there anything beef and chicken my gosh that on that oh my
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god well I’ll let you out I’ve never yeah I got I had a number at one time but I wasn’t expecting this uh but you
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figure 40 pound boxes and uh of chicken and I go through a minimal of probably
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70 cases a week bottles of tequila oh my
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God quesa Tequila bottles uh 12 cases to a bottle just a regular house margaritas and I can go through uh 80 cases a week
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so let’s talk about this famous Margarita everybody loves the food but they love the atmosphere but the
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margarita is is what everybody always seems to talk about with Joe cheese what what’s going on with the margarita how
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does that work well I mean it’s never clear in lime juice you know that’s again a rumor you know
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but we’ll leave it at that but uh but uh you know we’ve always yes we’re known for our Margaritas uh all I can tell you
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is that uh I remember my two older brothers they made this recipe themselves that Lanny and David and uh
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uh so they put it together and uh we uh you know fresh lime juice uh you know
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Tequila Triple Sec and we just you know we don’t skip it’s we don’t do a pre-mix
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or anything like that I mean you’re getting a 100 real margarita yeah you get a margarita there’s no doubt there
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is no doubt about that then if you even get a special like a Tino special or anything like like that you better be
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ready because man that’ll put you to sleep what’s the skinny call the skinny reader yeah the Skinny’s just plain
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skinnies yeah how many how many Margaritas do you sell or do you serve on a good day is there sorry not that I
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don’t have a number on that be honestly but uh yeah it’s in the thousands thousands oh there’s no question there’s no question so how many employees work
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here Joe I have over 200 employees 200 employees no questions uh probably uh hundreds
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UH 60 full-time is that a difficult job managing it ever since covered and all
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that it’s it’s it’s uh very challenging every day I’m not gonna say it’s not trying to get people try to get people
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to stay and just try to get people to work anymore sure people are asking how are you doing and I said just about as
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well as you are you know but you all are also known though for quite the cushy waiter job you don’t
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have to bust the tables you just I think they just take the order and they go back and somebody else does it all well
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you know that’s kind of the time we have our Busboys you know we have again it’s it’s a system it’s a system you
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know I I want my staff my way staff to be all over you all over my customers I want them to take care of them wait on
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them I want them to be happy I said when they come in I want to I want the way they came and I want them to come you
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know to be the best experience I ever had yeah you know am I perfect no are we going to make mistakes of course you
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know but I don’t want any mistakes if we can sure but I tell my staff I said don’t dwell on your mistakes Let It Go I
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said just make sure that you know you you you make it better the next time and the consistency aspect it’s all about
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refreshing and then just you’re going to get the same thing every time you come in no I I have customer tell me this he goes yeah I’ve been coming here again
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remember I was telling you they say I’ve been coming here 50 or 60 goes Joe I’ve been coming here all my life and it
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tastes the same as the first day I came it’s incredible that’s he goes and I’ve had customers tell me this and I’d love
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to hear this he goes you know I love coming here every time and what I said to me and you go he goes when I have your enchiladas I know they’re going to
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taste like the initials I have 50 years ago that’s incredible you know what I mean and I said well wow that’s huge but
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they may sit in a different place so you’ve expanded so tell us about that well I’ll tell you what uh well we’ve
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expanded you know when we first started the Patty was in 1970. now again that was my oldest brother Lanny and David
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had this idea of making a patio of course we were kids we were also bugging our mom we wanted a swimming pool so uh
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she was going to do this pool so Lanny and David kind of go well you know we make a make a patio out of this and serve private parties which we did and
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uh so when we first opened the patio in 1970 the only way you could sit outside is you had to have a private party right
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well when we first built that patio everybody wanted to be the first to have a party out here you know so it took off
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and then you could swim back in the day because there was a pool there and um so that went off really well so people are
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going well we want to sit down here when you know you know also so I don’t remember the year on exactly but
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when we weren’t doing a party then we’d open to the public well we were having such a demand people wanting to that so
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with you know Elaine goes hey we need to add another section so we said we’ll do another section and put the parties over here and open this side to the public
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well well of course that took off and went more and yeah so then we added uh
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another section and and uh 1991 which that first covered area we did that
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and uh again just kept going until Landing kind of came up and he goes Joe and I says what do you think we need to
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finish this off and I said what do you think I said he goes so we go let’s so we added that last section in this side
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which this took about a couple years to do because it was so much bigger yeah and so we finished this off in 1990
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nine I believe it was when we added this area back here and it’s just modeled
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after something the uh Lanny saw a place in Mexico Atlanta gets
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a lot of ideas from Mexico Lanny is so talented when it comes to architectural uh design that’s probably what he really
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should have been because he has just such an eye for beauty of landscaping and architect and design that he saw a
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similarity of this that you see behind us and uh come off of that with his own design and did that a lot of people
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don’t know this but the stone work that you see on the ground The Columns everything you see here uh all came from
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Mexico the fountain behind me I mean we did it we a lot of this we did ourselves now some of this when we did this back
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part we did have to hire a crew to come and do this because it was so big but a lot of it what we did ourselves but we
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do in-house but we want it to look as original as possible again going from
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customers saying you know I love coming here because it reminds me when I’m in you know Cancun or
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uh you know you know Hawaii or when I was in Costa Rica you know and uh so you
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know so forth and I said hey if that takes you away from reality out there outside of these walls and you come in
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here and you’re away from all that we did what we needed I think we accomplished what we wanted to do yes
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what are some of the struggles if you might ask a little bit into your world what are some of the struggles that Joe T’s overall what are some struggles you
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deal with here I mean the struggles that you were talking about uh that uh I mean it’s it’s the uh hell the employee
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situation still the employees are still that’s that’s probably one of our toughest struggles is still without a
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question uh you know for a while there it was getting things in there’s some things still getting uh waiting to get
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in like I ordered dinner plates and uh I remember my first order that during this whole cover it took me almost a year and
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a half to get dinner plates you know with our names on it right now I’m still waiting on an order on that but it’s those those are uh those are getting
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better but employee situation is still the challenge very good what about inebriated celebrities does that ever
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become a problem here I did hear about it they’ve never had a problem with that
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with celebrities uh no never but you know every now and then I get somebody that’s had a little bit too much yeah
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that’s just gonna happen but we handle it very well and make sure we get Emma an Uber home or whatever and make sure
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they’re all taken care of but you never want anybody to leave here they shouldn’t be leaving here on their own and we really do take uh take charge of
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that but you’ve had some pretty top end celebrities here we’ve had a lot of celebrities over the years I’ve met a
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lot of people from uh Jimmy Stewart Sebastian Cabot uh oh my God Guns and
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Roses Guns and Roses that was a neat story Axel Rose I remember when brother
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asked me about that story uh remember that deal when they had that thing on stage and they had all their equipment
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tore up and yeah right many years ago but right after that they came to Fort Worth Rock one after that happened and
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my brother Annie comes he goes hey gun and roses want to come and have a party I go oh my God I don’t know Manny you
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heard what happened what happened their last deal this and that he goes well they’re setting up at the convention center downtown they want to come and
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have a dinner here and this and that and I said okay all right they did everything went off well and it was neat
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seeing all those guys they look just like they normally do but you know what’s neat about meeting a lot of these Liberties like that they’re just like
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Plano you know just everyday people like meeting yourselves and I just think it’s neat I’ve met a lot of people uh oh my
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God any favorites from yours come on I have so many favorites uh I mean um Lindsey Buckingham was a good friend it
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still is a good friend uh uh and uh ZZ Top you know and um oh my gosh uh I I
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let me tell you uh I Fleetwood Mac store uh I was waiting tables back in the day and um
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this group comes in and uh there you go hey we’re trying to find some friends and this and that I go well who are you
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looking for well it gives me the name and I said I don’t know who that is and I’m sorry it was you know at the time I
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I didn’t know who it was and uh uh learned real quick afterwards but I go to the kitchen I go hey Lady this guy’s
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looking for a group of people uh he goes well what’s the name he goes Fleetwood Mac and he goes oh my God so he told me
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who they were and I go oh shoot okay well I’m sorry I didn’t know so it comes in so I said yeah come on and I sit him
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down and that’s when we had the long tables he’s at the end of long table of people sitting next to him just like everybody else yeah and I’m waiting I
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said hey I’m so so sorry I I felt you know I didn’t know who you were and I
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apologize but I listened to a lot of country music which was really that’s so typical me to say at that time so I was
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like oh don’t worry about it so I said so I didn’t get your name because I’m Lindsey Buckingham oh well that’s cool so you’re in the band too he goes no I
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had my own band I go who are you he goes I’m Kenny loggin I go oh well that’s cool yeah I was like oh so anyway things
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like stories like that but uh it’s just really cool I mean uh I mean meeting so
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many people uh people say who I mean I tell you one of the top ones I I was
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uh I don’t get shot very often but uh but uh said bass came out and Oscar de
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laurente he had brought out many times during those years and uh Oscar had come up and we were visiting and Sid goes oh
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Joe why don’t you meet somebody else who I brought and I looked and I mean right off the bat already goes this is Henry Kissinger I danger oh my God yeah and I
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start visiting with him and it was just so cool I was like staring at him you
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know writing his face and almost out again it’s not because he talked just like he you know that voice and I was
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like I was just like frozen I was like God you talk just like I you know yeah and I just was just that was the history
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and that was just StarStruck on that one I’ve never been so Star Trek as I was do any of them try to deviate from the it
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was very strict menu here strict man you cannot get off the menu so do any of them try to no what if Axel Rose says
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you know I’d really like a a nacho of some kind or I mean you know and if we can do it I will I would do that yeah
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you know same thing with my and my customers here I would always try to do we always try to accommodate everybody we can if I can I will yep yeah there’s
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no question about that but you know sometimes that we we get that every now and then a celebrity uh uh when uh
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Hillary Clinton came out she had a I don’t ask me the menu I don’t remember but I remember she had a stricken with
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things that she dranked and this and that yeah yeah you know we made sure we we accommodated that sure but if we know
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ahead of time we’ll do stuff like that yeah most popular item here is enchiladas without a question the family style did an enchilada dinner that we’ve
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been serving for over 80 something years so you know but don’t think the the beef and chicken fajita doesn’t fall behind
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it’s too far yeah I mean we serve a lot of that any other um Hollywood that’s dead solid Perfect film right remember
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right they did any other kind of uh Hollywood type filming done here uh I’m
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trying to remember that might be John Mayer I don’t remember did Kelly mention anything to you I was trying to remember she knows
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now about this I was trying to think about that person with you that’s what she told us to get personal with you
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well I’m trying to remember uh I know they did that they oh well you know what uh uh Breaking Bad is that the one
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Breaking Bad they did do that but they did their final scene here is that the one where they did uh wait wait Breaking
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Bad that’s not the yeah the teacher that cooks meth no not that one okay it’s the other one what’s
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the other one called uh shoot not Breaking Bad Better Call Saul the wire there’s it’s
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the one where they uh oh you’ll think of it you’ll think of it I think if I did the final there was
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another one they did their final scene here inside the inside the restaurant and I thought that was the neatest thing
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um I’ll have to get to see them filming it naming them that they did the whole thing here the final scene where they used our patio as their backyard as
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their back patio oh no kidding and they showed it like pulling up in her Alleyway and they made this doorway uh
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and where they walk in that door there which they took the gate down and then they built that same gate this just gate
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in the middle uh where they did this camera shot just aiming at the gate where he walks in and he walks into our
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patio mind you there’s nothing out here it’s like if that gate was sitting right here where we are yeah and it just when
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he opened the door he saw this and it was the I thought that I said now I know how they do this stuff it is pretty
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amazing we’re gonna use some effects like that on this show yeah there you go well people love this place so much
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you’ve probably had I can’t count I mean I couldn’t tell you how many proposals birthday parties weddings the whole game
26:26
and I mean you’ve seen your number how many weddings or birthday parties do you guys host a year so many it’s hard to give me a number
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but I mean just like rehearsal dinners we can have four rehearsal dinners going at the same time well I mean I had two writing receptions can go going at the
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same time place is pretty big I mean the patio sits over a thousand people so I mean I mean we can do quite a bit so all
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if every every seed is filled how many people are concern I mean Back In The Day The Paddy could settle over a thousand but we tried to we we toned it
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down since covid uh that and the quality you know just trying to give you know better attention to our customers and we
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kept it that way for that reason and uh but we can steal everything all together inside and out you know 1200 people
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without a question and the line out front there’s no doubt if you come here on a nice day you’re in trouble because
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that line does not you know you’re going to be the line can be long but you know a lot of people get that shot going oh
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my God that’s long you know it’s a five hour waiting it’s that no can it be in over an hour wait no question but you
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gotta remember my patio and sit over a thousand people so I mean say or not maybe a thousand number 800 Cisco 800
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and uh that that moves pretty quick well and your food comes out quickly we try to
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get it it’s not like you I’ve never really experienced a oh my gosh we waited forever I mean it is moving I
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hope you never do but if that ever happens you’ll find out you can’t see me I’m in that kitchen trying to I’m fixing
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it oh yeah well like we talked about too you’ve got all the new activity going on on the North side and with the
27:52
Stockyards right there’s a bridge coming over from all of that yeah we’re hoping that they’re talking about putting a
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pedestrian bridge from that side over here so I’m hoping to go get all that worked out that will just welcome it
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right you know what with open arms with open arms you know uh but uh it’s it’s
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been wonderful the stock guards you know saying everything they’ve been going through and all that it’s really great
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to see everything that they’ve done uh it is definitely uh definitely benefited
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with not a question but I I feel like we also benefit them by being here without you know sure the people here go over
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there you know hey did our activity they’re going to go shopping over there vice versa they come in to eat here then
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go back so it’s been really great what other restaurants products Brands belong on the Joe cheese umbrella there’s other
28:38
restaurants we know of can you tell us okay we do have esperanzas which is right across the street you know people have known as they call it the bakery
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but it’s Esperanza’s Bakery and Cafe uh also we have another one on the south end of town uh uh parkale uh call
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Esperanza’s uh there also uh they have a different menu a larger menu they do
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have some fish items and stuff like that Carnitas uh oh my God uh all kinds of
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stuff I mean we do have our own Bakery Equestria which we make of Mexican pastries over there so uh which is
29:10
really good everything we make everything is made in-house 100
29:15
salsa as well South as well we do have jar salsa that that you might see at the
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grocery stores Walmart and so forth and uh uh and uh Tom Thumb who carries it
29:26
also uh that is packaged by somebody else who does that for us around from Foods who does that for us and they
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handle that and that goes to the storage which is I think is dynamite I’m sorry I think it’s the best hot sauce out there
29:38
South Side outfit that you’ll find what you that’s what I use at home uh I like the medium and the hot yeah I like that
29:44
sometimes I come my wife doesn’t like it she says it’s too hot but it’s never too hot for me so it’s never hot enough well
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does that do you ever eat here or is it just like man I am I’m living at this restaurant I cannot have one more bite
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I’ve had people ask me that all the time no of course I eat here and uh my brother eats here we all eat here
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um I mean there’s no question I mean like I said I’m tasting things all the time you know I mean you know so I got
30:07
to make sure that quality is always there yes sir you know and if something’s wrong I want to know what’s wrong and I will fix it and make sure
30:13
it’s right yes sir so Joe what’s uh what’s the future plans for Joe T’s like these days you know there’s always
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future Pines and uh things that we’re always thinking to do and Lionheart was talking Lanny has a brilliant mind I
30:24
know I’ve gone about that I just think the world Atlanta and uh all my savings but without a question of Lanny and I
30:29
we’ve worked together machine well let me tell you a funny story on that when I waited tables so
30:35
get there uh Lenny uh was like uh hey it’s time you start helping me because
30:42
I’m I can’t be doing this just me by myself anymore but you know with my mom of course on the bat but Lanny was had
30:47
the full Reign so you know he’s I said all right so Atlanta I’ve been doing this since I was uh 20 years old so here
30:54
I am uh 64 now so uh we’ve worked tightly together all those years and uh
31:00
so we had just a dynamite close relationship and uh but uh where I’m going with that is that
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um we’re always thinking of something and he’s always and he’s we’re tossing things I told you together all the time
31:11
and uh and we have some ideas sometimes we say some but sometimes we kind of
31:17
like to kind of keep it kind of secret because we like when people come out here they see something new something different so we’re always trying to
31:23
think of what we can do something different and you know there’s a couple of ideas that I always think that we’re thinking about doing and how much older
31:29
is he than you uh nine nine years oh okay so there’s a good distance where there’s there’s probably that’s a good
31:36
um it’s good for the relationship it is you know now we get along great uh I love him to death and uh uh I just thank
31:43
them it’s in your guy’s blood who are you gonna who are you gonna hire to take I mean are you going to be 80 years old
31:50
the two of you I know like I said I got my son in there and uh he’s got his daughter in there or two now yeah Kelly
31:56
of course also helping with things and uh but you know there’s other siblings I got a niece uh Liz uh daughter Hopi
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who’s helps also and we’re helping some more come in there and uh but you know keep it in the family keep it in the
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family uh but uh you know it’s just one of those kind of things I I you know people go Joe when
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you’re gonna you know when you’re gonna stop I guess I guess when I finally just can’t do it anymore I guess it’s kind of hard to let it go you know uh but uh
32:22
when the balance goes out of business huh yeah I guess I guess I hope they never do I need those shoes
32:29
oh my son you know uh he helped me a great deal and uh you know it’s really funny he’ll get me hard to go Dad I got
32:35
this i got this keep forgetting I know you’re not that you know we all have our kids but even though they’re all grown
32:40
adults we keep thinking uh sure I get it and I have to remind myself he’s not that little kid anymore you know so I I
32:46
understand that I think this is accurate but please correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t think you you advertise or Market
32:52
often or a lot I mean if people just know if you know you know which seems to be everybody but you don’t have you don’t have to Market this thing very
32:58
much is that fair that’s fair you know we really don’t Kelly who you know get some things out there you know which what she does but uh but you know we
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don’t advertise in magazines or Billboards or anything like that papers of any kind uh but you know it’s word of
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mouth and we’ve always had a strong belief that you know Word of Mouth you
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know we want you know we want when you come in you have the experience you’re going out there and tell somebody and
33:22
several people they’re going to tell somebody and you know uh and you know get the word out uh it’s really great
33:28
that uh that’s wonderful we are getting a lot of new you know with everything and all the people moving into Texas now
33:35
in Fort Worth sure oh my gosh we’ve gotten so many new customers that’s come out here and it’s really been great and
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they just get amazed every time they come out and of course when they see this patio I think yeah I heard I heard years ago years ago that you were the
33:48
maybe the number two volume restaurant in the United States is there any is that still relevant or do you know any stats are you guys I don’t know the top
33:54
five United States I don’t know we’re up there uh volume but uh I know we’re up there top in the you know Dallas Fort
34:01
Worth and Texas when it comes to Margaritas I know that yes you know I know we have I say uh volume to a
34:07
definitely high in volume in that you know and food and all that you know you know we serve a lot of people uh we set
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a lot of people and uh so we’re I’d say we’re high volume without a question especially tablecloth you know cloth
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napkins you know um you know it’s it’s not you know just plain table you wipe down I mean you’re
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getting a dining experience when you come out to gym fair to say you’ve seen people from all over the world I bet every country yeah and that is fair to
34:32
say there’s no question the president of Mexico you know that’s been out here uh he loved it he sat right over there and
34:39
never visited with him and uh a wonderful man uh visit for a long time and uh just thought he was great and uh
34:46
it’s Nate meeting all these people and then just um just said Martin Shane God great guy and uh when he came out and um
34:54
uh we sat and visited just talked with him and uh just super nice guy do they
34:59
like and they like visiting with you and you all probably I mean probably you all clearly have a knack for knowing your
35:05
customers if you know that they’re from all over the place that means that you’re up there talking to them and I mean right I know that’s it’s just like
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I said they’re just uh it’s it’s wonderful the restaurant there’s no question about that it’s great that they come out always love seeing them
35:19
um it says a lot you know and uh means a lot especially when you see him come
35:24
back yeah you know not just a one-time experience you see him come out uh uh I’m Reuben McIntyre been out here many
35:30
times uh my God Charlie uh not Charlie Martin she’s been out here many times uh
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um I mean I can go on and on and on um Owen Wilson uh been out here many
35:41
times his brother also and uh um and uh just great guys and great
35:47
family I mean when the although the Owen Wilson and family the whole Fame I married they had a little party here Mom
35:53
and Dad everybody they’re right over there the whole family came in and had dinner here as nice as could be just trying to say super super great deal and
36:00
when they did that uh uh the movie on the um orphans orphans thank you very much uh
36:07
they did all that they had their party out here the cast were out here eating
36:13
all the time yeah it was really great that’s great all the all the vegetation and trees and plant life is there is
36:18
there a dedicated Gardener or gardeners you know let’s go there uh that all started with my grandmother Jesse Garcia
36:24
uh was a Master Gardener there’s no question oh wow I mean that that that woman could grow anything and uh who I
36:31
just um I admired my grandmother so much I just thought the world of my grandmother and uh uh and uh she could just put I
36:41
mean she had all these 10 you know like coffee cans and with plant stuff and of course she had pots and stuff she can
36:47
make anything grow she didn’t I mean uh Lanny who took after her to doing the same thing which I watched all that and
36:54
I wanted it so me now I’m into it I mean I’m into my my yard in my garden and my everything and but late night uh for
37:01
years Lanny did uh when my grandmother then my right brother Lanny we did all
37:07
our in-house did the restaurant planting 100 at the very beginning I mean no no
37:13
question that’s when we first started uh we would he would go out get all the plants and then when it then hand it
37:19
over to me then I would go to the nurseries and find all the plants and bring them have them all shipped here and we’d do all our own planting all
37:25
in-house you know so now we get somebody help but we still do a lot of In-House we have uh Big Greenhouse out here in
37:31
the back that we put all our plants in but we do all our own maintenance ourselves a higher higher
37:38
Bill per month cheese bill or water bill oh right now you would save definitely
37:44
electric and gas without a uh that’s pretty high right now yeah but no we spent a lot on cheese there’s no
37:50
question cheese food is everything’s high right now yeah I mean you can go down the line I guess I gotta get get
37:56
down and look on that but yeah it’s all high right now it’s it’s it it does make it tough you know we hate having to go
38:01
up right now but you know you always got to go up you have no choice sure you know well it’s beautiful and you have
38:08
something that’s just that people can count on they’re gonna go they’re gonna get the same thing even in tough times
38:13
like now with the restaurant industry and stuff and so congratulations well thank you yes well I appreciate calling
38:19
you a friend we know each other we know your family you’ve been coming like everybody else you’re the best salesman this place has you and your brothers everybody who does you guys do this
38:26
amazing job yeah well we try we always do try and we appreciate all our customers we uh everyone who comes out
38:31
here and I mean it so much because again uh this was our home so when I say you can’t thank you for coming to our home
38:37
yeah I just mean that thank you love you we’re nothing without you I tell that to they’ll come to me go thank you so much
38:45
Joe thank you no thank you because without you I’m not here this we have a final question what is ask our guests
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this might be the hardest person to ask this question because of your familial Roots but we always ask our guests
38:56
besides family family aside what is the best day of your whole life you can if you can find one
39:02
that’s outside of Fame the best dad that might mean what do I enjoy the most no the best day of your whole life that was
39:08
doesn’t include your your wife kids all that family stuff meeting Axl Rose here at the restaurant you need that one you
39:14
know oh my God it’s a best day man you hit me I don’t know if I could even I mean well you know you always say the
39:21
best day of my life but my children can’t say your family oh my family you said not to say that God
39:27
that’s right oh my God I gotta let it go the best day of my life oh my gosh that is uh
39:34
we think it’s an intentionally hard question you know what I guess uh if you say what’s the best day of my
39:41
life and I can say it’d be more than one day is that when when challenges hit you
39:47
as say when covet came and we had to meet the challenge and we we accomplished that we we adapted to it
39:56
and you want to say defeated or just say we we handled it that’s the bigger that’s
40:03
that’s that’s one of your best days that’s beautiful because you know what you know every time there’s a challenge and I always say you know what come on I
40:11
mean you know I’m ready I’ll handle it I’ll figure it out but I’ll make it work indeed no yes we were both those cars
40:17
sitting in that parking lot getting the delivery thank you and I appreciate that I mean that sincere thanks for the time
40:23
yeah thank you if you guys don’t know about Joe T’s you
40:29
probably don’t belong in this town because this is this is where you should be but come see Joe and say hello if you find him but thank you Joe Lane thank
40:36
you for watching fortitude love y’all thank you so much oh you did oh say it again thank you
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[Music] foreign
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media house