Kathy and Miguel Diaz have been literally serving the New Mexico community for over five decades. As the owner and managers of Monroe’s, the Diaz’s have grown their business from a humble eatery to an Albuquerque institution. Monroe’s Lomas location had humble beginnings as a former gas station that had been renovated to seat 13 tables and 10 hungry New Mexicans on stools at the bar, with only burgers, enchiladas, and burritos on the menu. From that small one room restaurant, Miguel and Kathy’s shining personalities and outstanding fare made Monroe’s into a destination for locals and a standard for New Mexican cuisine in Albuquerque. In the early eighties Monroe’s added an exterior wall as part of an expansion to seat more customers, bringing the total to just shy of one hundred seats. But in 1985 business was booming and Albuquerque was growing, so the Diaz’s broke ground on a second location on Osuna, just east of San Mateo. The Diaz’s dedication to their employees has also been commendable and illustrates how treating a team like family can produce extraordinary results. Monroe’s has been providing health insurance to its employees since the eighties – something that was largely unheard of at the time, but fits the Monroe’s tradition of treating your employees like family.
Today Monroe’s is still in the business of warm, friendly environments and delicious food. While Kathy and Miguel Diaz can still be found working a lunch shift from time to time, their son Matthew has taken over running many of the day to day operations and is keeping the family tradition alive and well. This month the Monroe’s restaurant family is celebrating breaking ground on a third location to be built on 4th street, near downtown. The newest location will mark the restaurant’s first expansion in over 30 years after it was established in 1962. Stop by and congratulate them the next time you’re in need of a stuffed sopalilla or visit the Monroe’s website HERE