In the southern suburbs of Mexico City, the world’s largest Mexican restaurant has been serving meals for 76 years. The restaurant is a favorite among people wanting traditional Mexican cuisine that is becoming harder to get in the city.

Imagine having to supervise 1,000 employees. For most restaurant managers it might seem like a nightmare, but at the Arroyo Restaurant in Mexico City, it is just a regular day. The Arroyo Restaurant is not only largest Mexican restaurant in the world but also a time warp to traditional Mexican food that is fast disappearing to modern culinary trends.  

A customer said, “People are eating foods that are influenced by the United States like fast foods but here you get the feeling of Mexico, the specialties here like the barbacoa, and the meat they prepare is almost like the food they make in the small towns in Mexico.”

Founded 76 years ago, the restaurant looks like a fortress. There are nine dining rooms, a bullring and a massive parking lot for 600 cars.

The restaurant is so big that on a typical Sunday you can find as many as 2,000 people eating lunch and listening to Mariachi groups playing classic Mexican tunes.

But what really brings the people here is the food. Seven barbecue pits are constantly grilling traditional Mexican barbacoa meat that is wrapped in the leaves of agave plants. A cuisine typical from the central region of Mexico. But for the restaurant’s general manager, Jose Arroyo, its vast size can also be a headache.

He said, “It’s great when it is crowded. But on weekdays when there is less people it is hard because you still have to keep the place running. We have to keep cleaning it and doing everything necessary to keep it operational. It's hard because you just can’t close it.”

Arroyo is planning on expanding the restaurant to Texas. He believes that with its large Mexican population, there is a growing market for this traditional Mexican food.