Guadalajara’s Grill and Tequila Bar is celebrating 20 years since the opening of its first location with food, music and festivities this month.

Seth Holzman, 52, co-founder of the first Guadalajara restaurant, opened the doors to the establishment off of Prince Road and Mountain Avenue in August 2002. He was not sure what to expect, but a community waiting with open arms was what he and his business partner got.

β€œStarting the Guadalajara Grill in 2002 for me was a bit like throwing a life vest off a tall ship and then jumping in after it for safety. It’s all going to be fine as long as nothing goes wrong,” Holzman says. β€œBut my ambition and excitement to create combined with the thrill of seeing my guests’ enjoyment and enthusiasm for the uniqueness of what I was offering continued to motivate me.”

The business was a longtime dream for Holzman's partner, and former wife, Emma Vera-Holzman, who grew up in Guadalajara in Mexico and drew inspiration from her heritage for the restaurant's atmosphere, menu and brand.Β 

Years went by and the business boomed, the menu options expanded, more locations were opened and, down the line, Holzman and VeraΒ decided to go their separate ways.

The restaurants were divided, and Holzman got the location on Kolb Road, off of Speedway. Shortly after, he brought his wife Mayra Holzman, 42, into the business, and they began running the location as co-owners in 2010. Things ran smoothly until the night of July 26, 2014, when the restaurant on Kolb caught fire. It began in the storage room and spread from there, engulfing the property. The Tucson Fire Department ruled it a total loss and the Holzmans were left scrambling for an answer.

The answer came in the form of a property on Broadway near Swan Road. The location was deemed the perfect place to start fresh and build something together. After over a year in the making, they opened their doors in July 2015. With the new place and the reconstructed Kolb location, the couple now had two restaurants and a growing business.

β€œWe’ve been very grateful and lucky that every time we open a new location, we are popular, and the Tucson community has our backs,” Mayra Holzman says.

The feeling of community support was also felt when a third location opened in June 2021 in Marana.

For the milestone of 20 years in business, the couple wanted to give back to a community that has shown them so much support over the years. The main goal of the festival is to create an atmosphere where small business vendors from around town, and the Tucson community itself, can come together and celebrate. The Holzmans are throwing parties around town as a thank you for the patronage and support over these past 20 years.

The festival is spanning three days, in the three locations.

β€œEach restaurant has a different audience and different loyal customers, so we want to have a festival in each place and extend the festivities to be a whole August festival,” says Alexa Rodriguez, 24, events coordinator.

All festivals, from 5 to 9 p.m., are free to the public and will feature food, music and vendors. The Marana party, 5955 Arizona Pavilions Dr., was on Aug. 6. The Broadway festivities, 4901 E. Broadway, are on Aug. 13; and the Kolb location party, 750 N. Kolb Road, is on Aug. 20.

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SofΓ­a Moraga is an independent journalist and contributor to La Estrella de TucsΓ³n.