Q&A with Consuelo Flores the woman behind the burritos
Proprietor Consuelo Flores began a enterprise promoting tamales at Christmas.
Ultimately, Flores was requested if she may make burritos as nicely.
Two months later, she was promoting sufficient burritos to stop working as a waitress at Garduño’s and open the restaurant with out taking out a enterprise mortgage.
That was in 1998.
Initially from Santa Rosa, Flores grew up in a big household and infrequently helped her mom with the cooking.
Her son, Mayo, has taken over as chef, however Flores nonetheless does a lot of the prep work within the kitchen.
We requested Flores about Burrito Woman. Her responses have been evenly edited for size and readability.
How would you describe your restaurant’s idea and delicacies?
100% home made. The idea is a specialised and additional scorching chile and recent elements. I’ve came upon that prospects completely love recent fried potatoes. First I believed it was the chile that was attracting the shoppers. After which I spotted it is the potatoes and the beans and rice and all the pieces else comprised of scratch.
How do you make sure that your restaurant stands out from others within the space?
I make the meals the best way I prefer it. I grew up in a big household of 13 and I used to assist my mom prepare dinner what I’m cooking now.
What are a few of the greatest challenges you confronted in working your restaurant? How do you deal with them?
Prepping, loads of prepping, meat chopping, potato peeling and chopping. And the one manner I can deal with it’s to do it myself. It must be achieved.
How do you supply your elements and guarantee their high quality and freshness?
I do all of the procuring myself. I store at Smith’s, Albertson, Sprouts, Sam’s Membership, Costco, I’ve a supply for a few of my meats. I’ve a supply for my chile and my potatoes as a result of I take advantage of a lot.
And what impressed you to open your restaurant and the way did you get began within the trade?
I used to be within the restaurant enterprise all my life. I began in Santa Rosa ready tables, and moved to Albuquerque and was ready tables. And it obtained troublesome to earn a dwelling. I began getting older, they usually have been hiring youthful and chopping our tables right down to smaller sections. So I had at all times appreciated my very own meals. And once we picked locations to go eat, I by no means actually would choose a chile place. I would at all times choose Chinese language, or salad bars, as a result of I desire my very own meals.
The place does the title of the restaurant come from?
Okay, that is the place it will get attention-grabbing. I had a good friend that labored for KOB, and she or he used to promote promoting. She mentioned, “you already know what Consuelo, you’ll do actually good in case you went promoting burritos, the place I am going promote my promoting for KOB.” And it was Christmastime, and she or he mentioned that she cherished my tamales. And he or she mentioned, “why do not you simply prepare dinner up a batch of tamales, and I am going to take you the place I am going promote my promoting for KOB.” So I went along with her and the primary day I used to be promoting tamales and taking orders for Christmas. And I began getting requested, “Do you make burritos?” And I mentioned, “No, however I am going to convey some tomorrow.” So little by little, it took about two months to construct up, the place I used to be promoting sufficient burritos to stop my job at Garduño’s, the place I used to be ready tables. And within the meantime, I discovered the place I’m in now for lease, (at) a really affordable value. And I rented it and despatched any individual out of my burrito route, and simply grew the enterprise that manner, with out having to take a enterprise mortgage and simply just about paid for all of the gear as I went alongside.
What’s the most effective response to your meals you have ever seen?
The repeat prospects that simply maintain coming again for a similar factor again and again.
What three dishes would you most suggest out of your menu?
I like all of them, the preferred ones are the breakfast burritos supreme, the chicharrones, and certainly one of my favorites is the calabacita. It is very wholesome.
What’s one thing you want extra folks knew about your trade?
That it takes time to make the meals. It is all made recent to order.
What’s your favourite native restaurant, apart from your individual?
I infrequently eat out anymore, I eat my very own meals. However as a result of I am unable to prepare dinner Chinese language meals, that is what I like to choose.
What’s your pet peeve?
My pet peeve is when prospects do not understand that it takes time to make the orders. Like twice final week, once I opened, the cellphone rang 3 times, and it was a number of orders, so I used to be as much as 40 burritos. In order that was like my complete range. After which I began getting the walk-ins with lists. And in my thoughts, I am pondering how am I going to make 40 burritos in half-hour as a result of it isn’t possible or doable. However principally everyone understands, but it surely’s simply attempting to get the purpose throughout that it is all made to order.
