The Early Days
Ganzo’s Mexican Restaurant started from humble beginnings. John Ynocencio “Ganzo” Puente was born in Zacatecas, Mexico to Miguel and Maria Puente on August 26, 1914. When Ganzo was a teenager, he migrated to the United States to escape the Mexican Revolution and settled in the Mexican barrio Holy City in Bettendorf, Iowa. It’s there he married Frances Saldivar, another migrant from Zacatecas, on November 25, 1935. It was their dream to open a restaurant that brought the flavors of Zacatecas to their new home in the Quad Cities.
Pictured: Newspaper clipping from January 1, 1995 commemorating John and Frances’s wedding anniversary.
Ganzo’s Mexican Restaurant started from humble beginnings. John Ynocencio “Ganzo” Puente was born in Zacatecas, Mexico to Miguel and Maria Puente on August 26, 1914. When Ganzo was a teenager, he migrated to the United States to escape the Mexican Revolution and settled in the Mexican barrio Holy City in Bettendorf, Iowa. It’s there he married Frances Saldivar, another migrant from Zacatecas, on November 25, 1935. It was their dream to open a restaurant that brought the flavors of Zacatecas to their new home in the Quad Cities.
The First Ganzo’s
After years of saving money at Sivyer Steel and Ordnance Steel, Ganzo and Frances were finally able to follow their dreams by becoming one of the first to bring Mexican food to the Quad Cities in the early 1950s by selling tacos at the Mississippi Valley Fair. In 1962, they invested all they had in opening a small restaurant in Bettendorf called El Puente Café. With Quad Cities love for quality Mexican food growing, Mr. and Mrs. Ganzo decided it was time to move to a larger location. In 1969, they moved to Davenport and renamed their restaurant to Ganzo’s Mexican Restaurant.
The Legacy
In 1972, Mike and MaryAnn Puente, John’s son and daughter-in-law, opened up their own Ganzo’s restaurant on Five Points in Davenport. Twenty-seven years later, Ganzo’s moved to the current location at 3923 N Marquette St. where Pat Puente, Mike and MaryAnn’s son, currently runs the family business and keeps the Puente family tradition alive.
Under Pat’s direction, Ganzo’s was the first to bring a Cinco de Mayo fiesta to the Quad Cities in hopes of sharing Mexican culture with our community. Our Cinco de Mayo fiesta has quickly grown into one of the largest in the Midwest.
In 1972, Mike and MaryAnn Puente, John’s son and daughter-in-law, opened up their own Ganzo’s restaurant on Five Points in Davenport. Twenty-seven years later, Ganzo’s moved to the current location at 3923 N Marquette St. where Pat Puente, Mike and MaryAnn’s son, currently runs the family business and keeps the Puente family tradition alive.
Under Pat’s direction, Ganzo’s was the first to bring a Cinco de Mayo fiesta to the Quad Cities in hopes of sharing Mexican culture with our community. Our Cinco de Mayo fiesta has quickly grown into one of the largest in the Midwest.
