Michael "Mico" Rodriguez, the restaurateur known as the "Godfather of Dallas Tex-Mex," died on October 1 at 68. According to a friend of the family, he exhibited symptoms of a heart attack and died late Thursday night.

Rodriguez's career spans the modern history of upscale Tex-Mex in North Texas. He co-founded Mi Cocina, which opened in 1991 at Preston Forest Village and drew immediate crowds with its accessible Tex-Mex menu and the Mambo Taxi, a frozen margarita-sangria swirl that became the concept's signature drink.

The unit that changed the trajectory of the company opened in 1993 at Highland Park Village. That celebrity-heavy location, one of Dallas' most prestigious retail addresses, propelled Mi Cocina from a single restaurant into a chain. Under the parent banner M Crowd, Rodriguez also helped launch additional concepts, including Taco Diner, an early player in the fast-casual taco format.

Rodriguez entered the industry as a child. Born on October 30, 1957, he bused tables at El Chico — where his parents worked — at age 6, and later joined Mia's Tex-Mex, the restaurant his mother opened in 1980.

His tenure at Mi Cocina ended in a split. Rodriguez was ousted from the company he co-founded amid alleged financial improprieties, a downfall chronicled by D Magazine in 2009. He also faced personal challenges during that period.

He returned to the Dallas dining scene in 2011 with Mr. Mesero, opened at 4444 McKinney Ave., later shortening the name to Mesero. That restaurant served as the template for a chain that now operates seven locations across Dallas-Fort Worth and two outside Texas.

In 2018, Rodriguez and Mesero Restaurant Group parted ways. He retained the original McKinney Avenue unit, renamed Doce Mesas, and opened additional locations before being pushed out of that company in 2025.

His most recent project was Maple Street Food Hall, the Dallas concept launched by entrepreneur Ray Quintanilla in 2022, where Rodriguez was involved as a participating operator.

Rodriguez discussed his career in a podcast interview with Jeff Crilley. He is survived by his daughter, Bianca, and his ex-wife, Caroline. Services have not been announced.

The chains he founded — Mi Cocina, Taco Diner and Mesero — continue to operate across DFW and beyond, carrying a restaurant group architecture that Rodriguez spent four decades building, losing, and rebuilding.