Bring back Taco Tuesday! @MolitosGrill

Before I share any more words, I must thank you. You the reader have given me my voice and your time -something every bank, third-party lender and government agency has denied me. #SmallBusinessRelief

I’ve been in the restaurant/service industry for over 30 years. My dream since being a child immigrant from Guatemala was to one day have my own restaurant where I would share my mother's recipes, recipes acquired during travel, and shared amongst humble cooks/chefs I've had the privileged of knowing throughout my restaurant managerial experience. The desire to own my own restaurant was driven by the motivation in quality I can present in every dish we serve! I've always made it clear to my staff, quality in our produce, meat and products is of outermost importance -what we feed our bodies is what we feed our souls!

 

 

After decades of sweat, tears and penny pinching, in the beginning of 2020 -I had saved enough funds to give a hefty down payment for the purchase of my very own full-service Mexican restaurant with an inspired Latino twist! The restaurant has been in Long Beach for over 3 years and is now under new ownership with new dishes, renovated look, and employees eager to serve our community!  I made sure to staff my restaurant with latino-enthusiast who are well diverse with Latin-American origins AND enjoy indulging in the rich culture with every customer interaction (it’s the Molito experience!) 

 

Within the first 10 days of taking full-reign of my new domain, I generated over $15,000 in revenue/sales! Little did I know my success and life-long dream was at its climax -the pandemic was days away from crushing a lifetime of hard work. I now find myself head over heels -not with overdue bills and threats of evictions, more with ideas and plans to turn these troubling times into lessons and succession stories I will one day be sharing with the next generation in my family -but I’m losing hope. 

 

I survived crossing 3 borders and being 7 years old alone in a foreign country before making it to the United States. I survived losing my life-long partner to a troubling disease many young Americans face today BUT will I survive the mental and economical challenges I as a business owner have accrued from March 16, 2020 to today? I have been denied for every private/business bank loan I’ve applied for, both the SBA and banking institutions will not accept any of applications for assistance because although I purchased an existing profitable business  and formed my own corporation in 2020 -due to a technicality I haven’t been in business since 2019 which means no grants, no PPP, or EIDL advancements/loans were available to me. 

 

I’ve shed my tears and have developed more fears in 2020 than ever before. The key to surviving COVID-19 is change, to change all our focus and energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new. So here I am mi gente (my people), I turn to my Long Beach and surrounding communities across our state and country with my heart and hands humbly opened asking for your help. Success is no accident, it’s hard work and perseverance, learning, studying,  sacrifice, and MOST of all love of what you are doing -we have all those ingredients at Cantarito @MolitosGrill .. so please help us rebuild. Thank you.