By Gina London

Copyright independent

Sometimes it’s for a grocery run and a chat with cashier Brian. Other times it’s a quick trip to the hardware store and a lively conversation with shopkeeper Josh.

I appreciate all the friendly people I interact with there – but there’s one interaction that always gives me a lift even before I step inside. It happens in the basement car park.

As I pull in, I am greeted by a wave and the smiling face of Daniel Zaragoza, who manages the car valet service. He doesn’t just welcome me; he greets every regular customer like an old friend.

Daniel is a fixture. His warmth is matched by the upbeat music he always plays which fills the air with surround sound and the little Christmas tree that brightens his car wash station with year-round twinkling lights.

The whole scene is festive and somehow reassuring. So I wanted to learn more about the man behind the ever-present smile.

From Mexico City to Dublin

We met over an early morning coffee at the nearby Starbuck’s. Daniel shared how his life began in the heart of Mexico city. The youngest of six, he lost his father when he was just a year old and his mother by the time he was 12.

His eldest sister, only 21 at the time, stepped in to help raise him and his siblings.

Life wasn’t easy, but Daniel worked in barbershops and restaurants while still attending school, eventually graduating from high school. By the time he was 19, he had a full-time job at KFC as a cashier.

One manager saw his potential and invited him to join the franchise’s main office. “Of course, I said yes,” Daniel remembered. For four years, he crisscrossed Mexico city, delivering checks and contracts, learning responsibility and resilience on the job.

Daniel became a father at 21. With his girlfriend and young son, he decided to look abroad for opportunity and adventure.

A man passed by wearing a T-shirt that read: ‘Kiss me, I’m Irish.’ That was my sign

“We went as tourists,” he says of their first trip to Canada. They eventually secured residency in Toronto, where he worked nights in hotel maintenance and studied English in the mornings.

Nine years brought a daughter and job promotions – culminating in responsibility for a team of eight and a second job managing maintenance for an office complex. But when the clock ran out on his Canadian residency, he returned to Mexico, this time to Cancun.

Hotels, nightclubs, and restaurant jobs kept him afloat, but he longed for something more. Over coffee one day, he told a friend he wanted to move to Europe.

“My friend asked me which country I would like to go to – and at that very moment, a man passed by wearing a T-shirt that read: ‘Kiss me, I’m Irish.’ That was my sign,” he says with a laugh.

Within a month, Daniel and his eldest sister were on a plane to Dublin. She was studying, and he was ready for a new start.

In 2016, he found work at the Blackrock Shopping Centre car park.

“I had never even been to Blackrock before,” he recalled. He started at the car wash on a trial basis. Within two days, his managers offered him the role permanently. Today, nine years later, he’s the manager, overseeing a team of 11 at No H2O Detailers.

Hospitality in a car park

What sets Daniel apart is not just the quality of his work but his approach to people. His years in hospitality have taught him that the customer experience is what matters most.

“I try to make each car wash special,” he shared. “It’s not just about a clean car. It’s about how you receive people, how you smile at them, how you listen.”

His attention to detail is unwavering. He personally checks each vehicle to ensure it meets his standards. He also adds personal touches – sometimes it’s a small chocolate, sometimes he’ll give a hug – but whatever it is, it’s consistently kind.

And customers notice. He told me that he has some clients who travel for business from France and England and stop in monthly, just to see him.

Others, like me, ask for his playlist, which consists of an eclectic mix including Canadian band Men I Trust, the group Cannons, and plenty of Seventies and Eighties rock.

I see a life story of resilience, adaptability, and purpose

Life has had its share of challenges. His relationship with his children’s mother ended when they were young, and she returned to Mexico with them. But Daniel later reconnected and remains close.

His son, now 25, lives in Kildare and manages a car wash of his own. His daughter lives in Canada.

Daniel recently secured Irish residency and looks forward to attending his citizenship ceremony next year. He and his son are also quietly working on an entrepreneurial project together – details still under wraps.

When I ask what motivates him, Daniel’s answer is simple: “My goal is to make one person happy every day. When people smile back, I feel rewarded. That’s the payback.”

Each time I pull into the Blackrock Centre’s car park, I see more than a friendly smile. I see a life story of resilience, adaptability, and purpose.

Daniel Zaragoza’s journey from Mexico City to Dublin is a reminder that no matter where we start, or what obstacles we face, we can choose to create joy and community wherever we stand – even in an underground car park.

You can write to Gina care of SundayBusiness@independent.ie