40 years of La Maquina, a family business whose history 'began' in an eatery

Year 1982. January: the country is preparing for the World Cup to be held in June in Spain.

February: the nation is paralyzed with the cry of "Chanquete has died!", in the series

and Mecano and his

are on the way to success.

March:

(Madrid), which will be one of the most popular business dining rooms in the city and the origin of a powerful hotel group based in the capital (Every year more than two million customers pass through its premises and sell more than 60,000 kilos of seafood and more than 50,000 kilos of its famous Russian salad).

Four decades ago, in this Machine (today The Original Machine), Tejedor, of Asturian origin,

.

He knew gastronomy well: through his father, in the 1930s,

(Valladolid), and personally, at the age of 14 he started as a waiter in Oviedo and more Later he made a career in restoration companies in Switzerland and the Balearic Islands.

In the center of the photo, a young Carlos Tejedor, founder of the group, now retired.

With these wickers, the restless businessman began to forge,

, the group.

Roberto, his son and executive chef of the company, sums up these 40 years "as the birth and consolidation, after much work and effort, of a family dream. A project, before, and a reality, now,

, who created the first eating house in Medina del Campo".

Roberto's memories "are the ones I was discovering through my family, since The Machine is older than me."

Then they have already been their own.

"After an arduous training inside and outside the company,

", he evokes today about those times of "great enthusiasm and hours of work, where the self-demand was very high, because the The objective was to create the base that we maintain today".

The Original Machine, with the house motto: 'Friendship, business and happiness are forged at a good table'.

The walls of La Maquina keep, since its inception, the motto of the house:

. "

It has rained a lot, but the philosophy has not changed.

"Despite the passage of time, that family essence and the imprint of the founder Carlos Tejedor López [now retired, although he visits restaurants very often],

, as we affectionately call him, continue to be maintained. At numerous lunches he has shared with me his experience and good work that has made the group have the success it has achieved during these years", explains

.

"To achieve this there is only one way: that of excellence. This begins by

. We don't wait for them to come and offer it to us, we go to look for it," says Rueda, who works "hard and hand in hand with

", sons of

.

Javier Rueda, CEO of the La Maquina Group.

Thus, they buy at the main Spanish markets and source from farmers and ranchers, all directly.

This, together with "respect in the treatment of the product and the service, professional, but not distant" -specifies Tejedor-, are keys to success.

But there is more.

"During these years we have been

, aspects that have helped us in times of crisis that the sector has suffered with the pandemic," says Rueda.

They weren't spared either.

"In the end, we have been able to survive with the difficulties of the situation.

. However, with the help and commitment of all those who put their grain of arena, to whom we thank for their understanding, we have come out of the crisis", details Rueda, while anticipating that

", says the CEO.

The Garden of the Machine.

-in the Santiago Bernabéu-, a space remodeled for the reform of the Real Madrid stadium

, are planned .

With the latter included, they have (from Ponzano to La Moraleja)

, "each with its own personality [menu and/or decoration]. There are not exactly two equal It is the opposite idea to the franchise in which everything is replicated", concludes Rueda.

Take note: The Original Machine (1982);

Casa Nemesio (2002) and Casa Narcisa (2008), both in honor of the parents of

;

Door 57 (2004, today under renovation);

The Station Canteen (2008);

The La Moraleja Machine (2007), Chamberí's (2012) and Jorge Juan's (2015);

The Garden of the Machine (2016);

El Vagón de La Máquina de Castellana, Goya and Gran Vía, all three at the Gourmet Experience of El Corte Inglés (2012), and La Parrilla de La Máquina (2021).

And, to complete the experience (

), La Butiq, in La Moraleja (2012) and Marabú (2018), where they

Seafood and fish are very present in the menus of its restaurants.

The essence of the menus is, above all, fish and seafood, "with a touch, like at Casa Nemesio, with the rice dishes. Even so, they are all very much alive and, after each opening, we have been incorporating new dishes. The menus change every day, through

lift , they offer recipes with

: grilled tarantelo, ventresca, tartar, ribeye...

What are the group's restaurants like?

Roberto

: "I would define them as honest. Always giving the best, at the best possible price.

although their recipes have been renewed according to current values, less fat and sugar, sustainable fishing. .., although

The Grill of the Machine.

They have

This commitment is from the reception of the raw material by the chefs of the restaurants, who reject what does not meet the quality standards , and continues daily when

, concludes Roberto Tejedor.

All in pursuit of the philosophy of this forty-year-old brand, which is celebrating its anniversary and continues to be a meeting point for business, family and leisure meals.

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