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Lucharitos is handing over the keys — or at least a share of the profits — to the folks running its kitchens and dining rooms.
The fast-growing Tex Mex restaurant chain, which started in Greenport and now boasts seven locations across Long Island, announced this week that its general managers have become eligible to earn up to 10% of net profits at their respective restaurants.
The decision marks a major cultural shift at Lucharitos, turning managers into stakeholders and formalizing what founder Marc LaMaina describes as a shared investment in the company’s future.
“They are part of the brand, the culture and the future of Lucharitos,” the company said in its announcement. “This is how we grow — exponentially, together.”
Every location is involved
The new profit-sharing model applies to all seven locations: Greenport, Aquebogue, Mattituck, Center Moriches, Melville, Ronkonkoma and Mineola.
Lucharitos leadership also made a point to recognize longtime team members Carlos, a partner at Little Lucharitos who’s been with the brand since 2013, and Chef Joe, who helped launch the Center Moriches spot and still runs the kitchen there.
Founded in 2012, Lucharitos has become one of Long Island’s most recognizable homegrown restaurant brands, known for its fresh, scratch-made tacos, tequila selection and colorful luchador-themed decor.
One of its newest locations opened earlier this year in Ronkonkoma’s Station Yards development. In February, Lucharito’s branched out to Nassau for the first time, opening its new Mineola restaurant.
Prior coverage
Top photo: Marc LaMaina of Lucharitos poses with general managers in front of one of the Long Island locations, now eligible for profit-sharing (Facebook).
