Family has always been a priority for local restaurant owner Sergio Alberto Vasquez. It was what led him to move to Austin in 1984, to start his roofing business and to open his Mexican restaurant Cheko’s in 2008, despite never having worked in the restaurant industry. Since then, Cheko’s has not only provided the Vasquez family with a reliable income but connected them to the community. 

However, the path to opening a restaurant was not a straightforward one, nor one Vasquez intended to pursue as a child. Vasquez grew up in Ciudad Victoria in Tamaulipas and dreamed of becoming a teacher. Shortly after completing his teaching degree, Vasquez was forced to move to Baytown, Texas at age 25 in search of a better future for himself and his family. A large part of Vasquez’s decision was the devaluation of the Mexican peso, which made it impossible to find a steady job. In 1981, the year Vasquez moved to the United States, the inflation rate rose by 100% and continued to grow steadily throughout the eighties. Government corruption also influenced Vasquez’s move to America.

“Our government was managed by the president’s friends,” Vasquez said. “There was no capacity for those who didn’t know anyone in the government.”

After living in Baytown for a few years, Vasquez made the choice to move once again. 

Vasquez missed seeing his extended family but wanted to keep the job opportunities he had in America. In 1984, he moved to Austin where a branch of his mother’s extended family lived and remains in Austin ever since.

“I moved to Austin to be close to someone who was family,” Vasquez said. “My mom had nephews and nieces who had come to the United States in 1910.”

At first, Vasquez worked at the Saint Louis King of France Catholic Church and eventually started his own roofing company. However, the economic recession in 2008 hit his roofing business hard. It also negatively impacted a Mexican restaurant called Jesús Maria, the restaurant that was in the space Cheko’s occupies now. Seeing an opportunity, Vasquez offered to purchase Jesús Maria and turn it into a family business. The Vasquez family chose to rename the restaurant Cheko’s to honor the name that many family members share. 

“We decided to call the restaurant Cheko’s because it is the nickname for Sergio,” Vasquez said. “In our family, my son, who is the cook, and my grandson are named Sergio as well.”

While deciding on a new name for the restaurant wasn’t difficult, learning how to run the restaurant itself was, according to Vasquez. He had no experience in the restaurant industry prior to opening Cheko’s.

“We started out working without knowing much about the business,” Vasquez said. “The previous owners were greatly useful because they taught us how to manage the restaurant.”

Through learning how to run a restaurant, Vasquez hoped to bring his family members closer together.

“We didn’t open the restaurant with the intention of making us rich or to make a lot of money,” Vasquez said. “We did it to maintain our family’s union. The restaurant has kept us together.”

One way that the Vasquez family strengthens their bond is through hosting karaoke at the restaurant every Friday night. Family members from Sergio Vasquez to his youngest granddaughter perform songs in both English and Spanish. Minerva Vasquez, who married Sergio and co-owns Cheko’s with him, says that her favorite part of owning the restaurant is singing at karaoke nights.

“I always sing “El Columpio,”” Minerva Vasquez said.

Junior Alyanna Rodriguez has attended karaoke nights at Cheko’s multiple times with her friends. Rodriguez loves to sing and dance in her free time, and she enjoyed the opportunity to sing in such an unstressful environment. 

“It was very wholesome and a very unique experience,” Rodriguez said. “Singing with friends just made the experience even more meaningful.”

Since attending karaoke, Rodriguez has eaten at Cheko’s multiple times and loves to order the gordita with pollo guisado. She feels that the karaoke nights represent the spirit of the restaurant.

“It’s kind of what Cheko’s is all about,” Rodriguez said. “It’s all about family, friends, music and kids. You’re very at home.” 

Many other students also have fond memories of Cheko’s. Junior Ada de la Garza first went to the restaurant when she was two years old and remembers watching “Dora the Explorer” and eating chips and queso with her little brother while attending family reunions hosted at Cheko’s.

“It was our go-to Mexican restaurant and my grandpa liked it there,” de la Garza said. “And he’s the Mexican one, so we trusted him on that.”

Although de la Garza’s family hasn’t gone to Cheko’s recently, she formed a new tradition at the restaurant with her friends. In the fall of de la Garza’s freshman year, she encouraged her friend group to walk to Cheko’s after their last final exam. Now, she and her friends eat at Cheko’s after finals every semester.

“It symbolizes our friendship and how it’s grown,” de la Garza said. “It’s just a very community building thing and I feel like it makes us a lot closer to just go and share a meal together.”

De la Garza believes the environment of Cheko’s is a key component to allowing the growth in her friendship.

“The owners and the people that work there are always really friendly and super patient with us even though we usually end up staying there for two hours and we’re kind of loud,” de la Garza said. “The owners have never been like, ‘y’all should leave’ or tried to kick us out.” 

Cheko’s also supports McCallum by sponsoring school activities such as Ballet Folklórico and donating food to the McCallum quinceañera every year. It is important to Vasquez to help school organizations because both his children and grandchildren graduated from McCallum. 

“We’re in the best position to help out and we have helped many schools when they have come for assistance,” Vasquez said.

Spanish teacher and Ballet Folklórico sponsor Telvi Altamirano Cancino appreciates Chekos’ commitment to supporting the community.

“There are many families who, when their children graduate, disconnect [with McCallum],” Altamirano said. “Cheko’s is one of those connections that I believe is going to stay here forever.”