SAN ANTONIO – As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, we’re highlighting the San Antonio business behind one of the country’s most recognizable concession foods — Ricos Nachos. Their history is rooted in family, hard work and persistence, turning opportunity into worldwide success.
“The legacy of our family, it’s, it’s something that I don’t take for granted,” said Tony Liberto, CEO of Ricos Products.
For 50 years, Ricos has been serving concession nachos at stadiums, movie theaters and venues across the country. The company’s roots, however, date back much further – to the early 1900s, when Rosario Liberto immigrated from Sicily to the United States. Today, fourth-generation owner Tony Liberto is carrying on the tradition his great-grandfather started.
“He says, You know what? I think I’m going to roast peanuts in my coffee roaster. And he did, and he started selling roasted peanuts to the circuses when they came through San Antonio,” said Tony.
That early idea launched the family into the concession industry, a business later passed down to Tony’s grandfather, Enrico “Rico” Liberto.
“At the time, you know, we were just a theater distributor. We would focus a lot of our efforts just on getting all the products you see in these theaters, distributed on trucks and into the theaters,” said Tony.
The business took a major turn when Tony’s father, Frank Liberto, visited a local Mexican restaurant and came up with an idea that would change concession stands forever. The concept: concession nachos.
“Dad thought, if I could sell these nachos in a stadium concession stand, I think we could make some money on this. So he found the cheese company up in Dixon, Illinois, he found the tortilla chip company in Dallas, Texas, and he found the jalapenos. He actually drove the family on a family vacation down to Mexico,” said Tony.
Then, Frank pitched the idea to the Texas Rangers. After some convincing, they agreed to give him a chance by setting up nacho carts at the stadium in 1976.
“I helped build those nacho carts when I worked for my dad during the summer. I was in the warehouse, you know, drilling these carts together,” said Tony.
The gamble quickly paid off.
“It became an overnight success because of one secret little ingredient, that little jalapeno. Because when somebody ordered nachos and ate nachos, what do they do after that? You know what? I’m gonna go get another beverage, or I’m gonna go get some hotdog or popcorn,” said Tony.
Their next stop was Cowboys Stadium and then came a call from United Artists Theatres.
“Dad said, ‘Oh no, this is a… this is a stadium item. It’s a messy item; it’s got cheese. People are gonna… you guys have velvet seats, you have carpet, you’re going to call me for a cleaning bill for your theaters,'” said Tony.
Instead, they wanted more. What started as a 10-theater test run in Dallas quickly spread nationwide.
“Now, you fast forward, we’re selling nachos in 84 different countries around the world,” said Tony.
The company’s success eventually expanded into retail stores, with Rico’s products now sold at retailers including Sam’s Club and H-E-B. That’s the side of the business Tony now leads.
“When somebody’s pushing a shopping cart down a grocery store aisle, how do I get them to say, ‘hey, I don’t want that brand. I don’t want that brand. I want Ricos,'” said Tony.
From different cheese and tortilla chip flavors to popcorn, the company continues to grow while celebrating a major milestone – 50 years of concession nachos. Rico’s recently wrapped up a multi-state anniversary tour in its nacho-themed truck, honoring the partners and communities that helped build their legacy.
“We’re always going to be the original nacho. No one can take that away from us,” said Tony.
The company’s headquarters is in downtown San Antonio off Presa Street, where a small museum showcases historic memorabilia. It’s open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
