Embracing the history while moving into the future - the people and the journey behind Acapulco Joe's.
When Grant Redmond bought Acapulco Joe's he wanted to tap into the history and old glory of the restaurant. Someone put him in contact with Butch Phillips, who had been head cook under Joe Rangel. Butch taught Grant the original recipes. Grant also researched everything he could about Joe Rangel and the restaurant itself. In line with embracing the history while at the same time moving into the future, Grant commissioned the creation of a new logo for the restaurant.
Our logo embraces the history of Acapulco Joe's. The seven stars represent the seven times Joe Rangel crossed the Rio Grande River in order to come to the U.S. The eagle with the snake in its talons represents the Mexican flag. The bald eagle represents America. Joe Rangel had the love for the American dream and was able to live it. Joe Rangel used to stand at noon and sing Kate Smith's version of “God Bless America.” This song is still played during lunch to this day. The last line of that song is “my home sweet home” - that is also the tag line of our logo. We also included “established in 1960” and the weathered look to show that the restaurant has stood the test of time.
Today, the restaurant is owned and operated by one of the city's very own, Grant Redmond. Grant grew up on the near south side of Indianapolis, in less than desirable conditions. In his house the kids did the cooking, and Grant knew from that point forward that he had a passion for cooking the best, most interesting foods for the family. He took delight in the approval of his family and friends enjoying his creations.
Through his determination and eagerness, Grant made the critical decision to join the United States Air Force, where he excelled in the area of electronics. Much like his passion for cooking and creating, while in the Air Force Grant's innovative mind grew into many creative ideas used in navigation systems in jets and aircraft. Following the Air Force, Grant went to work for an electronics company as a technician. There he worked his way through schooling at Ivy Tech, where he received his degree in Computer Service and Digital Electronics. On the side, Grant continued to enlighten people with his outstanding knowledge in the kitchen - catering, bartending and DJing. He spent these years focusing on how flavors affected the many dishes he prepared, and soon enough his skills became very apparent amongst his customers and peers.
After graduation, Grant moved into the automotive manufacturing industry as an electrical engineer. This helped him polish his managerial skills and learn how to show return on investment. He created assembly line processes still used today, and earned his bachelor's degree in Business Administration through Wesleyan University, graduating Summa Cum Laude. Because of his entertainment skills, Grant would plan and organize social events for top officials in his company, which enabled him to maintain his passion for food. He always said he would retire and open his own restaurant.
In April 2013, Grant felt it was time to leave the automobile industry and take the plunge on his own. Through a private broker, he discovered Acapulco Joe's was for sale. Knowing the history, Grant leaped at the opportunity to become the proud owner of a piece of history right here in Indianapolis. Being the first Mexican restaurant in the city, Joe's is also a piece of Americana. For Grant, owning the restaurant lets him be part of that history, provides a creative outlet, and allows him to be the host every day. He has never looked back.
It's just an average lunchtime at Acapulco Joe's Mexican Restaurant on the southwest corner of Illinois and Vermont. Customers are lined up on the sidewalk outside, even though it has rained on and off all morning. Clusters of hungry people are jammed together just inside the door. Others are trying to get takeout orders. Every booth and table is filled. A recording of Kate Smith singing “God Bless America” can be heard faintly over the already high noise level.
Suddenly the volume goes way up, blasting away all conversation. Joe Rangel, the proprietor, wants us all to listen. What Kate Smith is singing epitomizes what he tells everyone about before he talks about anything else. While Kate's booming voice bounces off the walls, everyone is silent. And when she finishes, the people in the crowded café applaud vigorously. A part of that applause was respect for Joe Rangel, founder of Acapulco Joe's - a man who loved his adopted country, and went through much to make it his own.
At 13 years of age Joe left the small town where he was born - San José Iturbide, in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico - and began his journey north. He left behind a childhood home where there were more mouths to feed than food to feed them. In Mexico City, Joe, a very green kid raw from the farm, learned survival. He scrounged for meals and worked any job he could get: a mortician's assistant, a detective, a chauffeur, and a bracero - a stoop laborer in the fields.
Joe crossed the Rio Grande six times and was sent back to Mexico each time. On the unlucky seventh try, he was sentenced to a nine-month term for illegal entry and imprisoned at the federal penitentiary in Springfield, MO. Still moving north, he walked seven nights from Brownsville to Corpus Christi, TX, avoiding daylight and immigration officials - he recalled the rattlesnakes under the summer moon, the lights of the highway and the railroad keeping him on course.
In Corpus Christi he got a job as a busboy in a Greek restaurant, working 12 hours a day for $50 a week. Through a friend he learned of a waiter's job at Charlie's Café in Minneapolis. When he had saved $40, off he went to the bus station - and there a language misunderstanding changed the course of his life. “Minneapolis?” he said to the ticket seller. “Uh-huh,” she replied. “Indianapolis, Indiana, right?”
Meanwhile, a rundown diner on Illinois Street in Indianapolis had been put up for sale. Joe, jobless and not yet a citizen, was determined to buy it. To his astonishment a friend, Joe Felsher, owner of Koehler's Pharmacy, loaned him $5,000.00 to buy the diner - a totally unsecured loan that Joe never quite believed, one of the things that made him shake his head and say, “Beautiful country, wonderful people.” “The place was a wreck,” he said, but on credit he improved it, put in a dishwasher and air-conditioning, and turned it into the simple, functional and highly successful establishment it is today.
In 1971, when the great day came that the United States finally claimed this determined would-be citizen, a large sign outside the café announced it to the world: “Hear ye! I, Joe Rangel, became a U.S. citizen. Now I'm a proud Gringo and can raise hell about my taxes like any other citizen. Come in and share my bliss.” Hundreds shared his bliss that day - to the tune of 15 cases of champagne.
