Meet Victor Macias | Owner/Director Of Operations

We had the good fortune of connecting with Victor Macias and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Victor, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My father and mother founded the company over 40 years ago here, in Atlanta. I grew up in the hospitality industry due to our family business. The resturants were a huge part of my sister and I’s upbringing. I watched my parents oversee the day to day operations as well as witnessing expansion, accounting, managing, and marketing strategies.

I knew in high school I would be majoring in business administration during college. The family business has always been standing right next to me so to speak, since I was a child. My parents always made it known I had options on what career path I wanted to pursue. I knowing my options allowed me to continue the family Resturants and led me to open up my own location just OTP of Atlanta. My skills and knowledge I had mastered working in Tex Mex style resturants gave me the willingness to add on another location under our belts during post covid. I thought to myself I know the day-today operations, managing vendors, staffing, customers(treat them like family), bookkeeping, marketing/promo skills to allow El Azteca to expand and keep up with todays newer food concepts. I found myself ready to open a new location from the ground up and have 100 percent control in the decision making/operating.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I as of present day, have my very own Mexican restaurant location off of Peachtree Dunwoody Rd. It will be two years since I opened in oct 2024, so just shy of two years. I would have to say is what I’m most proud of at this point in time. I learned so much in the last 10 years since I graduated college and started working in my industry and I’m still learning so much till this day. It has not been easy at all, despite what one could say I had a home team advantage having my parents being the founders. It makes it that much more challenging by having to build off their foundation and work with the same vendors, contractors, and other individuals who are waiting to see what I bring to the table. Ive had to learn how to take our business concept established by parents and modernize it while still keep the key elements that made us suessful and known for. I had to learn to work around certain obstacles. The traditional tex me food menu for instance is a stable in our business but its time to change. We need a more cleaner sleeker menu design and while we still offer the same food entrees, its time to make the plate presentation trendier, the design of our store fronts and how we promote on social media and other plate forms. The becomes how to keep my parents core foundation and make it viable in todays growing foodie cities like atlanta.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Well, I’m a buckhead kinda guy full on through, I would start from there and work my way around town. I think a must check out spot is the garden room at the st regis atlanta. Its a great spot to get drinks and meet people. I would take my friend to the shops of buckhead check out all they have to offer, depending the time of year the shops have entertaining events during every season. In the spring theres st Pattys day weekend, live music, pop shops, food and during the winter there is a pop up christmas theme village. I would have to take my friend to Jonnys Hide away, its a stable here in atlanta. Then of Course so is El Azteca Mexican Resturants!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I wish I could recognize everyone I ever came into contact with, everyone I have ever met attriubtes to who Iam today and what I have accomplished! But, if I could highlight a certain someone or group, I would like to thank my teachers/professors who taught me along the way. I had some amazing teachers in high school who thanks to them led me to attend Ole Miss and there I made amazing life long friends and professors who taught so much and because of them I was able to take what I learned in text book form and witness and manage in actual day to day operations in the real world. I would thank my amazing friends of many years who have been there for all my crazy and stressful days and most important I would like to thank all the employees who have worked so hard to help make my family’s business what it is today, a successful and well established piece of Atlanta for many of our residents today. Its thanks to employees like Elazer Alfaro for example. He has been with us over 15 years, treats our guest like family, always helps in any way he can, or mentors any new employee. He taught me things I would never have learned from a college text-book. I thank him and all our employees and customers for supporting El Azteca all these years and my entire family wouldn’t have what we have if it wasn’t for our loyal and amazing staff and patrons who I see as family.

Website: https://elaztecaatlanta.com

Instagram: elaztecaperimeter

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/el-azteca-perimeter-sandy-springs

Image Credits
Victor Macias