People’s Choice: Fiesta Mexican Restaurant

Not every Mexican restaurant offers a salsa bar and a chance to see homemade tortillas being made right before their eyes, but at Fiesta, these are among the features that make the restaurant unique.

Fiesta first opened its doors in 2001 in Pasco, with a staff that consisted mostly of family members and a menu that focused on the family matriarch’s recipes. Teresa Ortiz was the inspiration behind the operation.

Since then, the restaurant has grown, additional staff have been hired and a second location has opened in Kennewick.

Isidro Ortiz operates both restaurants, which focus on offering friendly service, food made using the freshest ingredients and making everyone feel like a part of the family.

The Ortiz family doesn’t just want their customers to feel like they’re part of the family when they visit the restaurant. They also work to make sure that the restaurant is a part of the community.

Teresa Ortiz, the daughter of the family matriarch and Isidro Ortiz’s sister, said their first restaurant opened just months before Sept. 11, 2001, and the terrorist attacks instantly changed their focus.

“After this tragedy, we realized the importance of community,” Teresa Ortiz said. “Getting involved and supporting our community has been at the core of what Fiesta has become. Our whole business strategy changed for the better.”

She said since then, her family has made sure to become involved in the community and to give back whenever they can.

“In other words, we’ve become more involved, and those efforts have been well received in our success,” Teresa Ortiz said.

This story was originally published May 15, 2015 at 12:00 AM with the headline "People’s Choice: Fiesta Mexican Restaurant."