It's a Wednesday night, and despite the mucky, snowy spring weather, it's still packed at Benny's Restaurante y Cantina, -- simply known as Benny's Restaurant to its regulars.

The popular Mexican food restaurant, located at 301 E. 7th Ave. in the heart of Governor's Park, is pumping out burrito after burrito, margarita after margarita. Behind the scenes, General Manager Tony Garrido steers traffic, making sure every plate comes out looking good and ensuring each customer is satisfied with their dining experience.

Garrido, 44, a native of Chile who grew up in Miami, roams the crowded restaurant with a sense of purpose. He finds a dirty bar towel lying around, rolls his eyes, picks it up and throws it in the dirty laundry basket.

The restaurant is humming with customers, waitresses, waiters and bussers who weave their way through a talkative and seemingly well-lubricated crowd. For Garrido, it's just another Wednesday night at Benny's.

"This is nothing," Garrido says, adding that the Mexican eatery typically sees approximately 1,200 people on busier days like Fridays and Saturdays.

For most restaurants, though, it's pretty steady. At the bar, patrons order dozens of the famed "top shelf" margaritas while a nearby table of state legislators talks politics over food and drinks after a day at the Capitol.

Garrido has been the general manager at Benny's since 1995, a lifetime for most in the restaurant industry. He's stayed here all this time because there's something different about Benny's, he said.

"This place is so successful because of the employees," he said. "I'm fortunate enough to have some great employees. I wouldn't trade them for anything."

Garrido was hired by owner Benjamin Armas in 1995 after having worked at Lakewood's Casa Bonita for two years. Garrido was looking for an upper management position, though it didn't necessarily match up perfectly with the major in aviation management he earned from the Metropolitan State College of Denver.

Still the job gave him a chance to do what he loves -- manage people. And in Benny's, he found a family.

"Benny's is kind of unique in a sense," he said. "From the owner down, we feel like we're part of something special. We take pride in what we do here."

The life of a restaurant manager is not for the meek, he says. On some days, he'll spend 12-plus hours in the restaurant supervising employees, checking food temperatures, writing out food and beverage orders, handling customers, pitching in on marketing efforts ... the list goes on.

"There's always something to do in a restaurant," he said.

He wouldn't have it any other way.

"I don't think I could do a nine to five job," he said. "I'd be bored. The beauty of my job is there's always something different every day.You're not sitting around at a desk thinking, 'Wow I can't wait to go home.'"

The work is back breaking - he's on his feet virtually all day - but Garrido has a simple philosophy when it comes to enduring restaurant work.

"You have to enjoy it," he said. "If you don't enjoy this type of work, you're not going to last."