Rebecca Gonzalez has a challenge of having too much work.
It is a challenge of her own making.
The owner of 1928 Cuban Bistro has five locations and expects to open a sixth in Fleming Island by the end of the year, January at the latest.
The five 1928 Cuban Bistro restaurants are in Baymeadows, St. Johns, Ortega, Jacksonville Beach and Fernandina Beach. The growth began in 2019 with the first at 3928 Baymeadows Road.
Gonzalez, 40, doesn’t lean on franchisees to operate her restaurants. She and her husband, Adrian, 43, own and operate them all. The leadership team includes her sister, Sarah Hernandez, who handles marketing and catering, and employee Andrea Cruz Parson, who serves as the company’s district manager.
“I don’t like to focus on the negative. For me it is not a problem, it is a challenge,” Gonzalez said.
“I have to learn how to get better at me personally having five restaurants.”
This experience isn’t new. She owned a gourmet salad franchise in Miami for eight years before moving to St. Johns County in 2015 when her husband opened the Always Caring Home Health agency.
The restaurant is a tribute to her grandparents, Mario and Pura Alvarado. Mario was born in Cuba in 1928 and left in 1961 to escape communism.
1928 Cuban Bistros are fast-casual spaces that usually seat between 25 and 30 customers.
Gonzalez told the Daily Record in 2022 that she’d one day soon like to have a larger, full-service restaurant. After that concept is underway, plans are to franchise future locations.
Gonzalez said she sees her staff as family.
“It’s all about family. We are creating that family. Andrea started with me three years ago. When she started in 1928 she was a part-timer,” Gonzalez said.
“She showed a willingness to grow and a drive, which is a rarity these days. She has a passion for 1928 just as we do.”
Gonzalez learned how to cook from her grandmother and mother. The menu reflects those family recipes. It is the same food that she served her three children.
The menu consists of several sandwiches, rice plates, salads and wraps. Sides include yuca fries, plantain chips, tostones and queso frito.
Breakfast items are served all day. Small bites feature croquetas, Cuban empanadas and papa rellena. There are also coffee and espresso choices.
Hours vary by location and can be found at 1928bistro.com.
Hiring continues to be a primary concern. Gonzalez wants her team not only to buy in on the restaurant’s menu and way of preparing food, but to become part of the restaurant family as well.
“Hiring is a challenge across the board. We try as hard as we can to hire the right people. We train and don’t lower our standards,” she said.
“We have a work culture that we created in 1928. We try to maintain that culture. I try to stay positive.”
She has 50 employees. Many are women of Latin descent.
“That has been a huge reason why I keep going. We are Cuban. The restaurant honors the resilience of grandparents who lost everything to start over here,” she said.
“I want to continue my grandmother’s legacy of helping women. A lot of times they come in and start as a regular employee and become managers.”