In this interview, we talk with one of the co-founders of a successful Mexican restaurant in Valencia, Spain. The story begins during the pandemic and highlights the challenges and triumphs of establishing and growing a business in such a difficult time. The restaurant, known for its authentic Mexican cuisine, has become a beloved spot in Valencia, expanding to multiple locations and participating in important local fairs. The co-founder shares insights into the philosophy behind the restaurant, their use of technology to streamline operations, and advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.

Starting the Business

The business began during the pandemic. It was started by my Mexican friend, Alejandro Robledo, and me, an IT professional. Alejandro said, "Hey, I'm going to open a Mexican restaurant. Do you want to help out?" So, I became part of the process, starting with the development of a simple website and looking for customers. It was very complicated due to the pandemic. We tried various options to see what worked best for us until we found the right solution. It was a boom because it fit very well into the system.

Restaurant Philosophy

Our restaurant's philosophy is to serve one hundred percent Mexican food made by Mexicans. All our cooks are Mexican. Our staff is diverse, with employees from various nationalities: Venezuelans, Colombians, Cubans, Spaniards, and more. We try to participate in many events. For example, we have booths at fairs offering Mexican food and are present in different parts of Valencia. Currently, we have three locations in the city.

Main Objective

Our main idea is to bring a bit of Mexico, and its culture, both in the restaurant's atmosphere and the food, to the Spanish palate. We noticed that in Spain, most Mexican restaurants offer Tex-Mex cuisine, which is not authentic Mexican food. They sell burritos and other dishes that are more Tex-Mex style. We wanted to bring traditional tacos with corn tortillas and authentic ingredients like barbacoa al pastor. We opened our first restaurant in 2020, the second in 2021, and the third in 2023, consolidating our success.

Consolidation at Important Fairs

Between 2021 and 2023, we also established ourselves at two important fairs in the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia. During the Christmas fairs, we positioned ourselves well, attracting clients from all over the world, significantly contributing to our popularity.

Business Differentiation

Although we started in the midst of the pandemic crisis, we have distinguished ourselves from other restaurants. Our food is one hundred percent homemade and not Tex-Mex style. Additionally, when people visit our restaurant, we want them to feel like they are in a little piece of Mexico. We are an embassy of Mexico, with authentic food and music. Generally, we bring Mexican artists, and many of our murals are hand-painted by Mexican artists who create their works while people eat. We also have mariachis constantly performing.

Choosing Loyverse POS

I am in charge of the IT part, while Alejandro, my partner, takes care of the kitchen and the business structure. Together with Ana, who manages social media, we were looking for a system that worked well. I developed a system within WordPress that we tried to adapt for internal order management, but it was complicated.

While searching for systems, I found Loyverse POS in a forum where someone recommended it. It was perfect. I quickly familiarized myself with its functions: how to place an order, send an order to the kitchen, and register printers. I am very grateful for the ability to print tickets in the kitchen, which has streamlined the work of our waiters, solving the problem of lost tickets and significantly improving our processes.

One feature I appreciate about Loyverse POS is the ability to customize orders, such as choosing whether a product has sugar or not, and having this information displayed at the checkout. It also helps us manage the daily menu, where customers have three options: starter, main course, and dessert. All of this is recorded and sent to the kitchen automatically, allowing us to efficiently serve many people.

In our restaurant, we have managed to serve up to two hundred people at once, thanks to this system, which has greatly facilitated our operations. We also like the feature of sending orders and managing the inventory of beverages. Although we currently only manage the beverage inventory, we might implement a more detailed inventory control in the future.

Advice for Entrepreneurs

For those who want to start a business, my main advice is not to fear failure. We started in the middle of the pandemic and feared losing everything, but taking risks and being brave led us to our current success. It is crucial to be passionate about what you do and maintain focus, working consistently every day. We were not funded by any large entity, just three friends with bank loans to start this business. Not fearing risks and maintaining constant hard work have been key to our success.

Conclusion

In summary, our success is based on the authenticity of our culinary offering and our ability to adapt to our customers' needs. Our passion for what we do, combined with the use of efficient technology like Loyverse POS, has been fundamental to our growth and consolidation in the market. We invite everyone to visit our restaurants and enjoy an authentic piece of Mexico in Valencia.

Restaurant name EL HUEY

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elhueyvalencia/