Sixty years ago Woody and Victoria Johnson opened the first Macayo’s restaurant on a lazy street in a little place called Phoenix. Now the second generation of Johnsons operates 17 Macayo’s restaurants and a successful line of retail products.

When president and CEO Steven Johnson took the reigns in 1976, Macayo’s was about one-third that size. Johnson says the company wouldn’t be so successful without its more than 1,300 faithful employees. Some employees who babysat him as a boy are still with the company. Johnson recently invited The Times in for a peek around Macayo’s headquarters.