Benda, Beans, and Community at Chupito’s

Atlanta native Darren Benda wears many sombreros. Bootstrapping and founding Chupito’s Azteca Grille in Dunwoody, he works the kitchen, greets customers, coordinates catering orders, and manages operations. Customers joke that he “lives at the restaurant.”

Chupito’s features vibrant Mexican adobe colors and the aromas of fresh-cooked food, but two things behind the scene stand out: Benda’s chef training and his commitment to giving.

The restaurant seats 150 indoors and another 55-ish on the patio and employs around 18. They also have a catering arm, from office lunches for 10 to 250 warehouse employee meals.

Benda’s culinary inspiration involves his studying in Madrid, Spain, where he developed a passion for international cuisine. He later widened his culinary education through classes in Mexico City and Oaxaca.

Among the most popular plates are fajitas, homemade tamales, seafood specialties, and brisket which is a combination of his grandmother’s Jewish brisket recipe and his kitchen manager’s spice ideas.

Benda explains, “I liked his spice profile, and he liked my consistency and flavor. Together, we created brisket tacos, brisket quesadillas, etc.”

The restaurant also prepares its own dressings, desserts, and specialty items from scratch, including flan, tres leches cake, Mexican chocolate cake, Oreo churros, and churro cheesecake.

This writer’s group sampled a healthy meatless variety, and was especially impressed with the house made sauces and salad dressings (honey lime and avocado vinaigrettes): Chunky Mexican Guacamole ($11); Salmon Wrap ($19.95); Fish Tacos — grilled tilapia with all the fixings like Jalapeno coleslaw; Veracruz Special- tilapia ($19.95) with rice and steamed vegetables topped with creamy lime tequila lime sauce.

This merits being served at any fine restaurant: Vegetable Fajitas ($18) sizzling with touches of squash and cauliflower.

The menu is huge! Mix and match, have it your way.

Benda attended The Epstein School before Riverwood High School’s International Baccalaureate magnet program. He was bar mitzvahed at Ahavath Achim. Years later, he hosted a full kosher dinner at Chupito’s with 50 guests after Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal koshered the restaurant’s kitchen for the special event.

Benda attended Syracuse University, with degrees in marketing and print journalism. He was a newspaper reporter, a radio DJ, and an analyst and digital editor for an online marketing firm.

Benda recalls, “I eventually became operations manager for a travel marketing company and moved up quickly.”

At 15, he was a busboy, dishwasher, prep cook, host, and server assistant. Through college he worked as a waiter and bartender.

After years in marketing and management, Benda joined a local restaurant group as marketing director and eventually oversaw the entire chain.

By 2019, he felt ready to take the leap.

“I got to the point where I wanted to do my own thing,” Benda says. “I saw things I liked and things that needed changing.”

He purchased the Dunwoody location of the restaurant where he had been working and completely transformed the business, rebranding, remodeling, and rebuilding. Chupito’s opened on Jan. 1, 2020, right before the pandemic.

The timing presented challenges, but the restaurant survived.

Today, Benda employs between 15-20. He remains hands on. “I joke that the marketing team joins the catering team and the operations team and management team. All of which is me.” He handles ordering, vendor relationships, management, marketing, and often spends hours cooking and preparing food alongside the kitchen staff. Fluent in Spanish, he can communicate directly with many employees and vendors.

The business remains a family affair. Benda’s father, Gerald, serves as legal counsel and strategic advisor, drawing upon his decades of experience representing hospitality clients. “If I have to cover kitchen hours, he’ll even help out on the floor,” Benda says.

Benda is committed to tikkun olam. He donates meals to local schools, religious organizations, and charitable groups. He employs an individual with Down Syndrome and provides job-training opportunities for autistic students from Cumberland Academy and does weekly meals for the Schiff School (JCC at Temple Emanu-El) and soon partnering with a Jewish Family & Career Services project.

“This community means a lot to me,” Benda concludes. “I’m from Dunwoody, I live in Dunwoody, and I’ve invested in Dunwoody. I want to continue giving back to the community that has supported me.”

Chupito’s is located at 1412 Dunwoody Village Pkwy. (770) 399-7757.