Domingo “Tony” Orozco looked around his restaurant, Las Chavelas, and couldn’t help but beam with pride. For 25 years he has owned the restaurant, staying with it through good times and bad. But more than the restaurant itself, Orozco loves the customers who shaped his business and helped his family.

“To the world you are just a customer, but to me you are the world,” he says.

Orozco is celebrating the 25th anniversary of Las Chavelas. It is the second restaurant he has owned. Since moving to Spokane Valley, Orozco has owned seven restaurants in 28 years.

“That makes me proud,” he said. “That I could make a difference in this area, regardless of my nationality.”

Orozco came to the U.S. from Zacatecas, Mexico, with one of his brothers when he was 15. He found a job at a restaurant in Los Angeles and worked all the positions he possibly could. He bused tables, served food, tended bar and worked his way up to a managerial position.

When he moved to the Northwest in 1984, he noticed a lack of Mexican restaurants and felt like people would want real, authentic Mexican food. In 1988 he opened his first restaurant and proceeded to slowly open more and more.

Orozco worked very hard to be where he is today. He has overcome many challenges and still remains positive and thankful for the community that supports him.

One of the hardest challenges in his career was in 1995 when one of his employees at Las Chavelas got hepatitis. The server came in sick to work and was sent home immediately. When the worker finally went to the doctor and found out they had Hepatitis, the doctor followed protocol and called the health department.

The health department confronted Orozco. He had to throw away everything that could have been contaminated, which he did, and he had a choice to make; he could go public with the information, or not.

He decided to let people know.

“I decided, what if one of my lovely customers were to get ill. I could never live with myself,” Orozco said. “I would rather go public and, just like other times, let the Lord help me.”

After the news got out, his restaurants lost a lot of

business. He had to close all but one of his restaurants — Las Chavelas. He had to cut about two-thirds of his staff and lost so much money he started paying his employees out of his own pocket.

But, the restaurant managed to stay open. After a few months, he started gaining more business. Within two years he had climbed out of his debt and opened another restaurant.

“Even though nobody got ill and I could have not reported it, I’m glad I did because my customers were safe,” he said. “To me, safety is the No. 1 priority in my business.”

Other priorities for Orozco are his family and his customers. He said he has his customers to thank for putting his kids through college.

Vanessa, his youngest daughter, just graduated from Eastern Washington University. She shares her dad’s passion for the restaurant and appreciation for the people who have supported it through the years.

“My dad came from nothing. It’s a real immigrant and American dream story. He worked so hard all throughout his life and any challenge he dealt with, he came out better for it,” she said. “I’ve grown to absolutely love this restaurant and it’s really the customers that make it so great. They’ve known us since we opened and I’m going to be sad when I move and get another job.”

Each of Orozco’s kids started working at his restaurants when they were 15 years old. They all started busing tables and all worked their way up to managerial positions, just like he did when he was their age.

Orozco just published his autobiography “Hope Never Dies.” He writes about his journey to America and how he came to be where he is today. He said he published it so his customers, now friends, can know more about him. He wanted to write about things in his life that would make a difference for other people.

He said he wants people who have addictions to read his book because he was an alcoholic when he was young, and if he could overcome that, so can others. He wants people to understand "you can achieve everything you choose with hard work and determination."

“I already opened the doors of my business,” he said. “Now I’m going to open the doors of my heart.”

Las Chavelas will be celebrating its 25th anniversary June 23 through June 25. Festivities will start at noon Thursday and Friday and at 11 a.m. Saturday. The party will be in the restaurant’s parking lot, along U.S. 95 between west Sunset and Bosanko avenues, in Coeur d’Alene. Orozco is bringing in a mariachi band from his hometown in Mexico and will be serving lunch and dinner specials.