September 15 to October 15 marks our celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month and we will be spotlighting Hispanic trailblazers in the retail and restaurant industries. There are few industries where Hispanic heritage is represented better than the restaurant and foodservice industry. Hispanic cuisine is a popular choice for restaurant chains that range from fast-food to fine dining. While there is a large amount of Hispanic representation in the restaurant workforce, there is less so at the top. Companies have spent the last several years working to change this imbalance and there are Latino leaders who are blazing a trail for the next generation. Our current spotlight falls on Guillermo Perales the CEO and President of Sun Holdings.

Sun Holdings is considered the second largest restaurant franchisee organization in the U.S., and it isn’t just led by Perales, it was founded by him. He founded the company in 1997 using an SBA loan and he has built the company from a single store into an ever-expanding empire. Over the years he has acquired franchised locations of popular restaurant chains like Applebee’s, Burger King, and IHOP. In 2021 Perales signed the largest Papa John’s franchise agreement in history and his company will open 100 Papa Johns across Texas by 2029. He has continued to be aggressive with his expansion and acquisitions in the restaurant industry.

Perales is an American dream success story. He was born and raised in Mexico and then attended Texas A&M University where he received his master’s degree in business administration. His early professional career took place in Mexico where he attempted to open a Golden Corral in the early 1990’s. After that fell through, he moved to the U.S. to pursue his entrepreneurial dreams. He eventually did get his Golden Corral restaurant in 1997 which he opened in Dallas, Texas. He turned that one restaurant into Sun Holdings and began to pursue other brands and franchise agreements until he built the behemoth that it is today.

Guillermo Perales’ business savvy has earned him plenty of awards. He has been named as Latino Executive of the year, Entrepreneur of the year, and one of the 50 most powerful people in foodservice. For the franchises that he owns he has been recognized by both Burger King and Popeyes as Developer of the Year for multiple years. Perales has also used his company to give back to the communities he serves by giving almost 500 academic scholarships. He has also given 20,000 yearly meals to Veterans through Golden Corral and provided over 9 million free meals to students through Certificate of Achievement Awards.

Guillermo Perales is just one example of the Hispanic trailblazers that are reshaping the restaurant industry. Representation matters and while there is strong Hispanic presence at the management level for restaurants, it will need to translate to the executive level. In the coming years the accomplishments Perales and others will pave the way for more Hispanic leadership in the foodservice industry. Guillermo Perales is the definition of a trailblazer and illustrates what some entrepreneurial spirit and ambition can accomplish.