Eduardo Castaneda left his homeland in Mexico in search of the “American Dream” in April 1968. His first job was an airplane parts manufacturing company, but his entrepreneurial instinct led him in a new direction.

He noticed that although there were some Mexican restaurants, there were none specializing in central and southern Mexican cuisine. So, in February 1970, he invested $1,800, of which $1000 was a loan. With the help of his wife Amalia and brother Jesus, the first Lalo’s restaurant was open. It was a small, 24-seat restaurant in the heart of Chicago’s Mexican community. By following a strict policy of only serving top quality, authentic dishes, the restaurant steadily grew in popularity. Soon, the location became too small and they expanded to a full-sized restaurant two blocks away. Demand became so great, that Mr. Castaneda decided to open another unit less than a mile away.

For the next nine years, Mr. Castaneda focused all his attention on his two restaurants. However, he began to realize that many new customers were venturing from suburbs such as Cicero, Oak Park, Berwyn, and Bollingbrook. In 1984, he opened another restaurant in the suburbs. Sure enough, the it became an instant success. In fact, the new location on Cermak Road became the busiest restaurant in the area, and they expanded to the building next door, doubling the seating capacity.

Today, there are a total of 12 restaurants in the Chicago and the suburbs. Although there have been several franchise proposals, the restaurants still remain entirely family owned. Mr. Castaneda has never forgotten the opportunities that were given to him from friends and family. He has always made an effort to help those who ask for an opportunity and is proud that several of his general managers and business partners, first started out as dishwashers or bus boys with Lalo’s.

Lalo’s Restaurant’s has co-sponsored many events including Lincoln Park Zoo’s annual United Walk for the Zoo, Chicago Aids Walk, Chicago Latino Film Festival, WTTW’s fund drives and many more in local communities. Mr. Castaneda is also a board member of the Personnel Review Board for State Treasurer and the Macneal Health Foundation.