Sacramento entrepreneur · Chinese American
Mason Wong
Managing partner, MAC Hospitality Group (with brothers Alan and Curtis Wong)
Second generation of a 50-year Sacramento restaurant family: Cafeteria 15L, Iron Horse Tavern, MIX Downtown, Mas Taco Bar and Casa Lola.
Mason Wong and his brothers, Alan and Curtis, are the managing partners of MAC Hospitality Group, the company behind Cafeteria 15L, MIX Downtown, Iron Horse Tavern, Mas Taco Bar and Casa Lola. In 2026 the family marks 50 years in the Sacramento restaurant business.
By the numbers
The data
Wong family venues opened, by decade
Dated openings only (Comstock’s 2016; Sactown 2026). Two later Mas Taco Bar openings are undated.
The story of Mason Wong
The family story starts with their grandfather, Kim Poy Wong, who arrived from China in 1937. Their father, Sun G. Wong, became the first person of color on the Sacramento City Council in 1966 and served three terms. In 1976 Sun and May Wong opened Luau Garden on Arden Way, and all five Wong children grew up working there. Mason’s own name combines his parents’ names.
The brothers moved downtown in 2005 with Mason’s, Park Ultra Lounge and Ma Jong’s at 15th and L streets. They launched MIX Downtown in 2009 and in 2010 turned the fine-dining Mason’s into the more casual Cafeteria 15L. Iron Horse Tavern followed on R Street in 2015 and in Folsom in 2018, the same year the first Mas Taco Bar opened.
In 2016 the group employed more than 500 people. Its newest restaurant, Casa Lola on 16th Street, opened in December 2025 with Sylvia Moreno as co-owner. “This is the 14th restaurant we’ve opened,” Mason Wong told Sactown Magazine.
Awards and recognition
Milestones
- 1937Grandfather Kim Poy Wong arrives from China.
- 1966Father Sun G. Wong becomes the first person of color on the Sacramento City Council.
- 1976Sun and May Wong open Luau Garden on Arden Way.
- 2005Mason’s, Park Ultra Lounge and Ma Jong’s open at 15th and L.
- 2009MIX Downtown launches.
- 2010Mason’s becomes Cafeteria 15L.
- 2015Iron Horse Tavern opens on R Street.
- 2018Iron Horse Tavern Folsom and the first Mas Taco Bar open.
- 2025Casa Lola opens on 16th Street (December).
Companies and ventures
Lessons for business builders
- Reinvent before you have to: Mason’s became Cafeteria 15L when diners wanted casual.
- Cluster your venues; five of the family’s spots share a few downtown blocks.
- Know the numbers. “We know our businesses down to the penny,” Alan Wong told Comstock’s.
Sources
- Sactown Magazine: Casa Lola (Feb. 27, 2026)
- Comstock’s: Wong family celebrates 40 years (June 29, 2016)
- MAC Hospitality Group: Locations
- Inside Sacramento: Iron Horse Tavern
Photo: MAC Hospitality Group (machospitalitygroup.com). Figures marked firm-reported come from the company; all others from the sources above, checked November 2026.
