A fiesta took over Woodbury Road in Hicksville on Wednesday, Feb. 25, as Willy Martinez, owner of Margarita’s Café, greeted patrons to his restaurant for its second anniversary. His charisma brings life to this establishment, along with a vivacious decor and colorful menu, and their famous house-made margaritas. With balloons fit for the occasion, as well as the presence of Nassau County Legislator Rose Walker, Village of Westbury trustee William B. Wise and President of the Hicksville Chamber of Commerce, Lionel Chitty, the ribbon cutting ceremony symbolized two great years of the location’s success. However, much of the hard work attributed to Margarita’s Café’s second location, started solely from the ground and moved upward.
In the early ’90s, a young Martinez began his venture into the restaurant business as a dishwasher. He eventually made his way through the ranks: from cleaning to serving to managing, and now finally owning three restaurants on Long Island. In addition to the Hicksville location, Martinez is the proud owner of two other Margarita’s Cafés in East Meadow and Wantagh.
While Martinez was surely not destined to be a bus boy for the rest of his life, he made it especially important to remember that his ultimate goal, while scrubbing away at dishes, was to own a restaurant of his own one day. Surely, his patience and hard work finally paid off.
The unbridled success of each restaurant, Martinez noted, did not come from outside sources. While there are partners invested in the Wantagh location, Martinez has made sure to
keep the restaurant’s name, theme and menu intact. Accordingly, both him and, co-owner and wife, Marian Martinez came up with the concept of Margarita’s Café by creating a signature margarita.
“No one knows the recipe but us. We make batches of it every day and bring it to each restaurant. Not even the bartenders or chefs know,” Martinez claimed.
Another component of the restaurant’s success is consistency. According to Martinez, nothing has changed in the past two years of ownership. “We create new daily specials and drinks, but our food [itself] has never changed. We know what works and what people want, so why fix it?”
Everything down to the “best fajitas on Long Island,” as stated on the Margarita’s website, is taught directly by Marian and William. The staff is also treated as part of the family, which is what the Mexican restaurant emphasizes.
“It’s a family restaurant—you come here once or you’re a regular customer and we’ll treat you like we’ve known you for 20 years,” Martinez said. “The same goes with the staff; I have worked with many of these people at my last restaurant, Don Juan.”
While you may get a customary greeting by Martinez himself upon entering the restaurant, there is also a good chance you will be approached by Margarita’s very own mariachi band on a Friday or Saturday night. These are two staples of the restaurant, and the kind of hospitality Martinez bestows upon his own staff to give diners the best experience possible.
While it may be their second year in business, Martinez hopes to keep the momentum going with the soon-to-opening Merrick location of Margarita’s, which is scheduled to open its doors by next month.
“It’s all about location,” Martinez stated, “I don’t know where we’re going from here, but all I know is that we have to focus on location to be successful.”
To learn more about Margarita’s Café, visit www.margaritascafe.com.
