Those who can’t make it to the event may celebrate at any El Toro location that day and receive 25 percent off the total bill.

El Toro started with a father’s dream to work with his family

El Toro is owned by the Munoz family, who came from humble beginnings.

“(Federico Munoz, the father of the family,) worked in the (strawberry) fields in California, and then one of his relatives decided to start a restaurant because back in the early ‘90s, late ‘80s, there was not as much Mexican food around the U.S.,” Alvarez said. “They wanted to show the Mexican cuisine to the American people and share some of his original recipes for homemade Mexican food.”

Munoz’s journey in the restaurant industry began in 1989 at El Matador in Virginia, where he learned the ropes of cooking and restaurant management. He then moved to several other Mexican restaurants and eventually became part owner of El Ranchero in West Virginia, which was opened by one of his nephews.

“He started getting experience in all of these restaurants and started teaching his kids how to work in the kitchen,” Alvarez said.

When they decided to open a second El Ranchero location, Munoz helped his children become part owners. As opportunities scattered the family, Munoz and his family began discussing a business that could keep them together.

“(Munoz) dreamed about having a family-owned business where he can have his family close,” Alvarez said.

Reinvest is key for El Toro success

After looking for locations to start a restaurant in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana and Kentucky, they eventually found an opportunity in Springfield to make their dream come true.

El Toro opened its first restaurant location on Limestone Street in Springfield in 1999.

“With the profits from their first location, they invested a little bit extra and then they opened the second location (in Bellbrook in 2001),” Alvarez said. “The second location was a bigger hit. The community in Bellbrook embraced them with open arms.”

Everything the family made at the first two locations was reinvested in a third location in Mason in 2002, which was eventually moved to Beavercreek.

The restaurants continued to grow with additional locations in Vandalia, Huber Heights, Dayton, Beavercreek, Springfield, Englewood, Springboro and Centerville.

El Toro’s key to success is building relationships with their customers and reinvesting into the restaurants, Alvarez said.

“They keep living within their means and reinvest everything they have into the next project,” Alvarez said. “They felt like the city of Dayton and Springfield was a really good place for them to build that community.”

What’s next for El Toro?

El Toro now has 14 Mexican restaurants across the Dayton area with several new concepts now open and another on the way.

El Toro Express, located at 21 N. Springboro Pike in Miamisburg, opened in November 2023. It’s a fast-casual restaurant providing the same type of quality food that their other restaurants offer, but in a more casual, easier to pick-up and take with you option.

In February 2024, El Toro opened Vallarta, a new restaurant concept featuring Mexican seafood, across from The Greene Town Center at 4448 Indian Ripple Road. The restaurant’s name, Vallarta, comes from the Mexican city of Puerto Vallarta that’s known for its rich and flavorful seafood. The owners realized most people weren’t familiar with this type of seafood cuisine, so they wanted to share it with people in the Dayton area.

The Munoz family also has plans to open Toasted Brunch Bar + Cafe, a new restaurant concept specializing in traditional American and internationally fused breakfast, lunch and dinner options. The restaurant is expected to open at the end of October or early Novrmber in the former space of Melt Bar & Grilled in Beavercreek.

“Through our U.S. and international travels, we have had the opportunity to experience unique flavors that have not been explored in this area,” Alvarez said. “We are excited to welcome guests and share our passion for food with everyone.”

The owners plan to fully remodel the 5,000-square-foot space to create a calm and vibrant atmosphere for customers to enjoy an espresso, coffee flight or specialty brunch cocktail while working, reading or visiting with friends.

Toasted Brunch Bar + Cafe will offer a mix of traditional breakfast items such as pancakes, waffles and French toast, as well as modern twists of avocado toasts, chicken and waffles and various brunch sandwiches, Alvarez said.

The cafe will also have unique global fare such as shakshuka, huevos rancheros and croque madame. Pastries, scones, cookies and breads will be made fresh in-house.

Who are the Munozes?

The Munoz family includes five brothers and one sister. Four of the brothers, Samuel, Adalberto, Juan and Sergio, are especially present in the restaurants today.

“All of this started because of a dream of a father trying to start a business with his kids to be close to each other and share their food, recipes and traditions with the rest of the community,” said Alvarez, who started working at El Toro as a dishwasher in 2003 at 18 years old. “If that’s not the definition of an American dream, what is? Find a way to stay close with your family and create something to be able to live.”

MORE DETAILS

The celebration at 4452 Buckeye Lane will feature $2 tacos and build-your-own nachos for $5. There will also be pastries and a beer/margarita garden featuring El Toro’s lime and strawberry margaritas.

Live entertainment includes a DJ from 1 to 2 p.m., followed by a Mariachi band from 2 to 4 p.m. and a Caribbean band from 4 to 6 p.m. There will be dancers, a mechanical bull and kids activities such as face painting, henna tattoos and balloon animals.

All proceeds from the event will go to the Miami Valley Restaurant Association for its educational program.

El Toro hopes this event will be a success, so they can do it yearly.

All El Toro locations are open 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. For more information, visit eltorobarandgrill.com or the restaurant’s Facebook (@eltorobarandgrill) or Instagram (@eltororestaurant) pages.