By Melissa Garcia

A sea of applause filled the bar inside Tia Margarita as manager Henry Guzman accepted his recognition award for completing 40 years of employment.

On April 22, the Mexican restaurant on the corner of 19th Avenue and Clement Street did not only celebrate Guzman, but also its 63-year anniversary with nearly 300 customers in attendance, listening to mariachi and sipping margaritas.

Owner Jennifer Conway gave a speech standing on top of the bar, honoring the longtime employee.

“From busboy to manager, you stood beside our family for generations. Your loyalty, pride and unwavering smile have helped shape Tia Margarita into what it is today. You are not just part of this restaurant; you are part of our family,” Conway read off the plaque given to Guzman.

Tia Margarita first opened on April 22, 1963, by two couples – John and Myrtle Holbrook and Alex and Virginia Hobbs – before being passed down to their daughter Helen Hobbs, and now the third generation, with Conway.

“The same people urge me to do what I do. With all the people that I talk to, they are all very nice,” Guzman said. “I don’t know if it’s my character; I don’t know if it’s them. But even when there are any problems, I do my best to solve the problem the best I can.”

Guzman first came to San Francisco from Guatemala when he was 17 years old and finished high school here. His first day at work as a busboy was on Sept. 17, 1985, at 18 years old.

Although he did not know much English, Guzman said he got a lot of help from his brother, who also worked in a restaurant and would teach him how to say commonly used phrases.

He found the position through his brother-in-law, who was already working at Tia Margarita, and started when the business began operating on Tuesdays (after initially only being open Wednesday to Sunday).

“When I started here, I didn’t work as a dishwasher, but the dishwasher wouldn’t come in to work, and the owner would put me in there,” Guzman said. “‘Henry, go wash the dishes.’ And there I would go wash the dishes.”

From there, he continued to move up in the company and went on to wear many hats at the restaurant, from waiter to bartender and then eventually one of the managers.

Now, Guzman mainly works on Friday and Saturday nights and frequently makes his rounds around the restaurant to ensure all areas of the business are operating well, including the bar, kitchen, the customers and most importantly to him, the staff.

“He gave me a lot of help to grow as a person in the restaurant industry,” said Antonio Martinez, a waiter at Tia Margarita. “He gave me that confidence and the ability to develop.”

While reflecting on his time at the family-owned business, Guzman said the restaurant has doubled in attendance on the weekends.

“On a Friday night (with Virginia,) we used to do probably 150 customers,” Guzman said. “With Helen, we probably did 175. With Jennifer, we do 250 on Friday/Saturdays. That’s the average.”

Many of those customers are regulars who attend weekly or sometimes even twice a week, like Richmond District resident Jenny Leon, who has been visiting Tia Margarita for 24 years.

“(Henry) has always stayed the same for me,” Leon said. “He’s always super friendly when we come in. He’s really personable with all the customers. I’m sure he definitely has more responsibility, but he’s still just the same old Henry to me and still very friendly.”

Guzman has two children, Francisco, 29, and Jessica, 22, who have both worked at the restaurant for anniversary and Cinco de Mayo celebrations.

“When everybody’s here, I just want everybody to be happy. Have a good dinner, have a good time and go home,” Guzman said. “So they’re happy, I’m happy and the waiters are happy.”

Tia Margarita is located at 300 19th Ave. and is open Tuesday-Thursday from 4-9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 4-10 p.m. and Sunday from 3-9 p.m. Find more information at tiamargarita-sf.com.