From Cooler To Taco Chain: How One Small Business Owner Defied The Pandemic

Carlos Garza is doing more than surviving the COVID-19 outbreak that has devastated so many of his fellow restauranteurs across the country. His chain of Northeastern eateries and food trucks is thriving.

Tito's Taqueria -- a sit-down and two trucks -- is 90% to 100% of year-over-year revenue, despite being closed for three months during the early days of the pandemic, Garza told International Business Times.

And times are so good for Garza, whose nickname is Tito, that he's going to be opening a second restaurant in a couple of months. Right now, he has a restaurant in Greenfield, Massachusetts, a truck in Brattleboro, Vermont, and a truck in Wilmington, Vermont, near a ski mountain. Come March, he'll have a brick-and-mortar in Brattleboro and move the truck to Keene, New Hampshire.

What saved the day -- and set Garza's operation up for growth -- were three things: his Brattleboro truck, had a surge in sales -- “We did much more than we’ve ever done before"; he parked the other truck outside his Greenfield space so he could keep his customer base; and half of his business was 100% takeout before the government imposed any coronavirus restrictions.

“I believe in technology, I think we have to leverage that for our customers," said Garza, 34, who grew up in Texas but moved to Vermont when he was 20. "We’ve always had this idea of frictionless transactions,” Garza said.

Vermont restaurants, on the whole, have fared better than eateries nationwide because so many had outdoor dining -- the Green Mountain State attracts lots of tourists -- before the infection invaded, Brattleboro business expert Gregory Lesch told IBT.

“There were times during the summer when it almost seemed like normal,” said Gregory Lesch, who leads Brattleboro's chamber of commerce. “The Top Of The Hill Grill [a popular barbecue joint] had outdoor seating with a spectacular view, and it’s mostly takeout. They’ve done very well this year.”

Garza's venture started in 2016 with a $70 loan from his girlfriend -- she's now his wife -- and the recipes of his Mexican grandmother, his dad's mom. He fixed fresh tacos, filled a cooler with warm bricks and sat down by the side of the road.

“I failed the first day, I sold two out of 30 tacos,” Garza said. “I didn’t want to do it again. You feel silly, the idea is awesome leading up until the point your girlfriend drops you by the side of the road with a cooler.”

But Garza only spent nine weeks hawking tacos from his cooler before he set up in a corner shop. He was able to pull off the big move with smart planning and careful testing -- of his recipes, his market, his focus on only tacos.

“The principle I found is ‘validate the concept,’” he said. “Before you go out and get into debt, first answer the questions: Do people want your product, are you any good at delivering your product and do you enjoy it? Can you make a life out of it?”

Despite opening another outpost, Garza is prioritizing quality and accessibility over expansion in the coming year. He wants to lock down the customers he has.

“Growth for growth’s sake, worrying about that top-line gross revenue as opposed to the product, that’s how people implode and fail,” Garza said.

When Garza does pivot back to expansion, he wants to spread his success around by embracing a small-scale franchise model.

“We live a pretty amazing life here in Vermont,” Garza said. “My promise to my managing partners is that they’ll eventually run their own business within Tito’s, and have a lifestyle that they maybe never thought was possible.”

Sandra Aquino knows firsthand that Garza cares about both his customers and his employees. She has been working for him for a year, as general manager of the Tito's in Greenfield.

And Aquino credits Garza's attention to pushing his business forward.

“He’s always there for food production at our central kitchen, making sure the quality and amounts are always there," she told IBT. "He’s on the line with everyone else. [Garza] is great with his staff.”

Garza ackowledges that the loves talking about his story and hopes to inspire others to pursue their goals -- whatever they may be.

“I’m not special, the food’s not special, I always say that I’m no less than and no greater than anybody,” Garza said. “What wasn’t luck was taking that first step, being vulnerable out by the side of the road.”