Eric Adler really loved the Master’s in Sports Industry Management program at Georgetown University. He liked that it was relevant, hands-on, and taught by instructors who were industry professionals.
Before Adler’s graduation in 2010, the program helped him land internships with D.C. United and the Verizon Center (now Capital One Center), and gave him an insider’s grasp of what it takes to run a major sports organization. With knowledge, newfound connections, and experience working for two major employers, he was well on his way to a successful sports management career.
Then, in late 2010, he and his family had an idea for launching an upscale Mexican restaurant in San Diego, where Adler has spent most of his life. Now—some 15 years later —their restaurant group, Puesto, operates eight full-service Mexican restaurants throughout California and a fine-dining Italian establishment as well. And, in 2026, it will expand beyond California to Nashville.
If you’ve read this far and are asking yourself, “Wasn’t this supposed to be about sports industry management? Well, it is. But it’s also about restaurant ownership; entrepreneurship in general; and the similarities and connections between the sports, hospitality, and entertainment industries.
And, it shows that, at a time when the nature of work and careers is changing rapidly, the most effective professional programs are those that prepare their graduates for a host of career possibilities rather than pigeonholing them in a specific job.
“I wanted to work in professional sports back then,” Adler said. “Football and baseball were my major interests; I wanted to work for a team, but I had the opportunity to develop this restaurant concept pretty soon after I graduated from Georgetown, and I just dove into it.”
A Passion for Mexican Food
That concept grew out of his experiences eating classic Mexican food at home—his mother was born in Guadalajara; his father is from Monterrey, Mexico; and he has often visited family in Mexico City.
Despite the abundance of inexpensive and moderately-priced Mexican restaurants in Southern California, Adler felt that something was missing—a more upscale but casual dining experience that truly reflected the richness and flavors of Mexican food. He was working in real estate, his family’s business, at the time, when he met chef Luisteen Gonzalez, who was catering high-end taco parties in San Diego. They got together and opened their first Puesto restaurant in 2012, with many more to follow.
With décor that incorporates murals by renowned artist Chor Boogie and a menu built on what FSR Magazine called “unpretentious yet elevated meals,” the Puesto brand has taken off.
While it’s not the sports industry career that Adler prepared for at Georgetown, it requires many of the same skills he learned there. People don’t go to sporting events because they have to; they go because they enjoy them. The same applies to the entertainment and restaurant industries: they’re not essentials, which means that to attract customers and thrive, they have to do more than provide a basic service.
“There’s a lot of similarities with entertainment venues,” Adler says of the restaurant business. “You open your doors, and guests are coming in. They’re sitting down. They’re there for the food, experience, and service. You really learn by doing.”
And, as it turns out, Adler’s experiences with Capital One Center and D.C. United, while at Georgetown, helped him in more direct ways, as well, because he learned firsthand how restaurants operated in stadiums. And so, a few years ago, it was a logical move for this “diehard 49ers and Padres fan” to start opening taco shops in sports facilities, including the 49ers’ Levi’s Stadium and the Padres’ Petco Park. Puesto has also opened a venue in the Indian Wells Tennis Garden near Palm Springs.
“What I learned at Georgetown has really helped me understand how their business works,” Adler says. “We worked directly with food service companies. It was very practical, very real,” Adler said. “That’s why it definitely helped.”
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