Latino homeowners find relief for their businesses under the LA Al Fresco program
Many Latino businesses are benefiting from the “LA Al Fresco” program, launched by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti a few weeks ago in a fight to reduce the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on the community economy.
This initiative created with the support of the Department of Public Health allows restaurants to serve food outdoors in areas such as sidewalks, parking lots and on the street, following the appropriate sanitary measures.
“It means a lot to be able to serve abroad because it gives us the opportunity to generate a little [más de ingreso] and not to rest the people who collaborate with us because it is a domino effect, if there are no sales, there is no work ”, explains Adalberto Rodríguez, one of the owners of La Minerva.
This restaurant is one of the most popular in the Tapatian community for 16 years, since they were among the first to serve the famous tortas drowned in Southern California, specifically in the city of Pico Rivera.
The crisis caused by COVID-19 has hit this business hard, since, according to Rodríguez, sales have fallen by 80% since the pandemic began.
For the past few days, they have been serving in the parking lot in front of their premises, where they can simultaneously serve 25 people – less than half of the 65 that used to host people before the pandemic inside the establishment.
“When we were able to open up outside, it was a moral relief for everyone. Especially for the people who help us, ”says Rodríguez, who claims to feel lucky because despite the crisis they have been able to keep the staff up during these months.
The heat has been a factor that has also played against business, although the high temperatures of the past weekend did not prevent diners from approaching to enjoy their traditional dishes.
“They liked the idea, unfortunately we are in midsummer, but our people already wanted to enjoy our food and they are content to be outside despite the heat.”
Rodríguez also acknowledges that enabling a parking space means more work for everyone in La Minerva, but at the moment it is the only way to deal with the crisis.
“It has been a little more difficult, you have to come earlier to order the tables, it takes almost an hour to arrange everything and at night you also have to pick up, so now you really have to work harder to earn the same dollar”, it states.
Pupusa Loca Park
Very close to Hollywood, on Santa Monica Boulevard, Sonia De La Nuez did not think twice and also set up a space outside her restaurant, La Pupusa Loca, to be able to serve her clients and keep the business afloat.
“These months have been like the tide, when this just came to us [la pandemia], yes we were completely devastated, the income lowered us up to 70% ”, explained Sonia, who together with her ex-husband are owners of the place.
Since last week, they have had to organize themselves to take out some tables and attend to their clients, who for 29 years have enjoyed their typical Salvadoran dishes.
“I knew that [para atender] something extraordinary had to be done, because the place was not presentable outside. Then it occurred to me to create as a little garden and so I started looking for information to put the synthetic grass, put a tent, paint and condition the place, “explains Sonia.
Adapting her business outdoors has been an investment, but she says that the satisfaction of seeing her clients enjoy their food is priceless for this woman with Salvadoran roots, but born in Guatemala.
“I did not mind grabbing my credit card and going to buy those little trees and everything, because I want people to forget about the virus for a moment and to enjoy it, even if it is when they are drinking their coffee or coming to eat”, it states.
The possibility of offering work to her staff is another of Sonia’s main motivations, since she confessed that when they were ordered to close the service inside the restaurant, one of her waitresses burst into tears as she was aware of the need she had for working. .
“Those who have benefited are also two waitresses that I had already rested. One of them started crying the day we had to close the service at the restaurant again, she said: ‘God, what am I going to do, I need to work, I have a lot of expenses, my children, my husband does not have a job,’ ”she recalls. Sonia.
“Believe me, I was very happy when I called him and told him about the project and told him to be ready to come to work.”
The reception of the clientele has been positive and they have even baptized the place as: “El Parquecito de la Pupusa Loca”.
For Sonia it is important to stay creative and with a good attitude before the situation that is being experienced in the world.
“The main thing is to stay positive, look for alternatives and move on. It is a world situation and thank God I have the happiness of offering work and that is what makes me not fail. ”
Sonia assures that this initiative has been of great benefit to her business: “It helped us to keep the boat afloat. We are not doing big catches, but the boat keeps on going and that is the important thing ”.
For more information
about the LA Al Fresco program, you can visit: corona-virus.la/laalfresco
And for more data in Spain go to: bit.ly/3fGqCSq
