Proudly hailing from a family with a long history in the restaurant industry, Elizabeth “Queen” Trevino has been the successful owner of La Playa Mexican Café since 2006. Located in Harlingen, Texas, her restaurant offers authentic Mexican food, margaritas, and event catering services. Ms. Trevino’s grandparents owned a restaurant in Mexico for their entire lives, and her mother followed suit. Partnering with her sons, who pushed her to follow her family’s example, Ms. Trevino launched La Playa Mexican Café. She now manages the business independently, having previously worked with her mother as well as her sons. In addition to her familial background in restaurant ownership, she credits her success to her consistency and persistence in the pursuit of her goals.
Ms. Trevino greatly values the execution of dishes at La Playa Mexican Café, a fact she finds distinguishes them from other Mexican restaurants. This commitment to high standards is why she often works in the kitchen alongside her employees. Ms. Trevino values the reputation among the dining public and the quality of the restaurant over financial success and would gladly earn less rather than compromise on either of those invaluable attributes. She holds firm that she will never serve something she wouldn’t eat herself.
Before beginning her work as a restauranteur, Ms. Trevino pursued a higher education to prepare for her professional pursuits. She attended the Universidad Autonoma de Nuevo Leon, a public university in San Nicolas de los Garza, Mexico, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree. Continuing her higher education at the aforementioned institution, she earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence. Before she became the owner of La Playa Mexican Café, Ms. Trevino was a practicing lawyer for years in Monterrey, Mexico. She then immigrated to the United States in 1985.
As an accomplished entrepreneur and businesswoman, Ms. Trevino has been the recipient of numerous honors and accolades. Since 2015, she has been repeatedly published in Latina Women. In 2016, she was named one of San Antonio’s Most Successful Women by Inspiring Women and was honored as the Queen of Fiesta San Antonio. Active in her community, Ms. Trevino had already previously contributed to Fiesta San Antonio, a nonprofit organization that presents an educational annual celebration of the diverse cultures and heritages in San Antonio.
Ms. Trevino considers maintaining the loyalty of her restaurant’s staff throughout its more than 15 years in operation to be her most impressive accomplishment. While overseeing the La Playa Mexican Café, she went through the COVID-19 pandemic, which devastated most of the restaurant and hospitality industries. Her business, however, survived in part because of the commitment of her employees, who chose to stay and assist her, preventing her from needing to close the restaurant. Ultimately, Ms. Trevino was most concerned with the well-being of her staff members and their families, who would have been left without work if the restaurant closed.
Ms. Trevino plans to keep growing La Playa Mexican Café and preparing the business to be handed off to another owner eventually. In the coming years, she aims to pass on her legacy to whoever wants to take on the responsibility, including possibly her own children, should they desire it. Both of her sons, who formerly partnered with her, now operate their own restaurants, continuing the family tradition. Ms. Trevino hopes to achieve partial retirement in the near future by organizing her restaurant to be functional even in her absence. Among the numerous positive aspects and perks of being a restaurateur, Ms. Trevino finds making customers happy with her food and service especially rewarding. She gratefully enjoys every part of running the business, including cooking, customer service, and administrative work.