Meet Roque Jimenez of Cien Agaves Tacos & Tequila

Today we’d like to introduce you to Roque Jimenez.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Roque. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My Partner Bob Schulken and I started Cien Agaves Tacos & Tequila in 2007 in Old Town Scottsdale. We were both in the restaurant and bar industry and recognized an opportunity to open a Tacos & Tequila concept here in the Valley. We wanted to bring our passion for Tequila and quality Mexican food to the Valley. I was fortunate enough to take annual trips to the Tequila region of Mexico and realized that quality tequila and finely crafted drinks made with tequila were sorely missing from the dining scene here in the valley. We also wanted to bring a level of quality over quantity to the Mexican cuisine we served. Our mission to start our restaurant began in our home kitchens. Bob and I made a pact to meet every week to fine tune our business plan and to work on the recipes that would define our menu. Our original chef along with Bob and me, each brought our ideas to the table on our favorite dishes and recipes to come up with our original menus focusing on an array of tacos and entrees that were made from scratch each using the best quality ingredients we could find. The bar drinks followed the same simple recipe of using quality ingredients made from scratch. Our award winning margaritas are made using fresh squeezed limes, homemade simple syrup or agave nectar and 100% agave tequilas. When we first opened, the recession had just started and made for a stressful introduction to the restaurant business. We introduced fun promotions like Margarita Mondays and Taco Tuesdays that helped attract guests. Over the years we’ve grown quite a bit and have a great following for our restaurants.

Has it been a smooth road?
The biggest struggle was getting started. We opened right at the start of the recession in 2007-2008. Our location in Old Town Scottsdale was hit hard by the tough times and dramatic decrease in tourism hit our market. In a way, it was a great opportunity to learn the business as we had to work hard to earn guests dollars and make sure that the money we spent was used in the best possible way. I feel that this has helped us in the long run. Today, we still have many of the same guests that started coming to our restaurant a decade ago.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Cien Agaves Tacos & Tequila story. Tell us more about the business.
Cien Agaves Tacos & Tequila is a fun, casual Mexican restaurant that specializes in scratch made Tex-Mex food and fresh lime squeezed margaritas. We’ve won many awards including best margarita, best tacos, best happy hour and best tequila list. One of our most proud moments was when we won an award from USA Today for one of the best Mexican restaurants in the United States!

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Over the last 10 years of being in business, we’ve seen a huge increase in restaurants specializing in Tacos & Tequila. We expect this trend to continue for years to come. We have seen a big increase in our To-go business as more diners choose to have their dinner delivered to them. We are excited for our new restaurant in North Scottsdale as the area is developing quickly and we see a big opportunity to become a staple in the area.

Pricing:

• We offer an array of pricing and menu options to suit all budgets. From Savory fajitas to tacos a la carte we have something for everyone
• Taco Tuesdays: $2 shredded beef tacos, $3 Tecate beers

Contact Info:

• Address: 2 locations serving the east valley: Old Town Scottsdale: 7228 E. 1st Avenue, Scottsdale AZ 85251
  Scottsdale 101 location: 7000 E. Mayo Blvd, Suite 1072, Phoenix AZ 85054 (right next to the Harkins Cine Capri Theatres)
• Website: CienAgaves.com
• Phone: Old Town: 4802-970-9002 North Scottsdale: 480-467-4455
• Email: Old TOwn: Oldtown@cienagaves.com North Scottsdale: Scottsdale101@cienagaves.com
• Facebook: Cien Agaves Tacos & Tequila
• Yelp: Cien Agaves

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