08/25/2026
A Legacy Built on Hard Work
Happy 70th Birthday, Joe! 🎉🎈🎂
The story of Joe Diaz and the Almond Tree Restaurant & Lounge did not begin in 1979. Joe’s story started long before that.
Joe immigrated to the United States from Mexico when he was just 11 years old, not speaking any English. As a freshman in high school, he began working as a dishwasher at the restaurant that stood here before Almond Tree, then known as Jay’s Coffee Shop.
From washing dishes, Joe worked his way up to line cook, then kitchen manager, and eventually restaurant manager. He learned the business from the ground up - through years of hard work, long hours, and determination.
Then, in 1979, an opportunity came that would change his life. When the restaurant was put up for sale, Joe took a chance. With the help and support of his friends and family, he purchased the establishment he had spent years working in.
For the first four years, it operated as JD’s Coffee Shop before becoming Almond Tree Restaurant. At that time, it was just the restaurant. The Almond Tree Lounge came later, in 1989, when Joe expanded the building by adding the back portion and creating the lounge that has since become such a familiar part of Almond Tree. What began as a coffee shop continued to grow right along with Joe’s vision.
More than 45 years later, Joe’s work ethic has not changed much. You will still find him here - fixing something, building something, helping someone, checking on the restaurant, or doing whatever needs to be done.
The same kid who started washing dishes all those years ago became a man who worked his way from dishwasher to owner.
A Legacy That Keeps Pushing Forward
And while Joe may have started this journey, keeping a family business going for more than four decades has taken a family - and one hell of a team.
And that journey has not always been easy. Over the years, Almond Tree has been tested more than once. We made it through COVID - outdoor dining, restrictions, uncertainty, and all the challenges that came with trying to keep a restaurant alive during a pandemic. We survived not one, but two electrical fires that forced us to close our doors for months at a time. And today, like so many small family-owned businesses, we continue to push through a difficult economy.
There have been plenty of times when giving up would have been easier. But somehow, through every setback, Almond Tree has found a way to reopen the doors, turn the lights back on, and keep going.
With the continued help and dedication of his daughter Nikki, his ex-wife Kim, his nephew Nate, and the many dedicated employees who have stood beside him for years, Almond Tree is still here, still pushing forward, and still serving this community.
Every person who has put on an Almond Tree uniform, worked a long shift, cooked a meal, poured a drink, served a table, washed a dish, fixed something that broke, or simply showed up day after day has played a part in keeping Joe’s dream alive.
Through changing times, challenges, successes, long days, and even longer nights, Joe has continued to show up and work his ass off.
Almond Tree is not just a restaurant and lounge. It is the result of an immigrant kid’s determination, decades of sacrifice, a family’s hard work, loyal employees, supportive friends, and a community that has continued to walk through our doors generation after generation.
Happy 70th Birthday, Joe!
Seventy years of life. More than four decades of building a business. Countless hours of hard work. And generations of memories created along the way.
Today, we salute Mr. Joe Diaz for the chances he took, the sacrifices he made, the opportunities he created for others, and the incredible legacy he continues to build.
Some people build businesses. Joe Diaz built a legacy.
And with his family, his employees, his friends, and this community behind him, that legacy continues.
At 70 years young, after everything he has accomplished, he is still out there doing the work that needs to be done to keep the business moving forward.
Here’s to you, Joe - and here’s to many more years of memories at the Almond Tree! 💚
