Today we’d like to introduce you to Robert Alvarez.
Hi Robert, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I am the owner of Tacos El Pariente. I never had any plans on getting into the taco catering business. Honestly, it was just something I loved doing. I love grilling. I love making good food and making great memories. Growing up, my father would always grill carnitas for us at home and at all our family parties. He was known for cooking the best-tasting carnitas in our neighborhood so everyone would always request it. My father’s knowledge of grilling definitely added a lot of value to my techniques when it comes to the quality of the meat I cook for my tacos. I bought my first plancha grill ten years ago so that I could cook tacos at my daughter’s birthday party. I wasn’t in the best financial position to afford a grill at the time but I was fortunate enough to come up with the money after selling my neighbor’s broken-down car to a junkyard. He offered me the car for a week worth of rides from home to work and back. I took that car to the junkyard and got $450 which went towards the purchase of my grill. It was a blessing especially because right after grilling at my daughter’s birthday party, I started getting booked for different events. Family and friends were our first clients. We began promoting heavily with flyers and posting more on social media which helped the business scale up. It’s crazy to think how my journey began to how it’s going now. We went from getting booked at least once a weekend to now having anywhere from 3 to 4 different events a weekend.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been the most smoothest road of course, every business no matter what field it’s in always has its adversities. Our biggest struggle was learning how to perfect the craft of our food and the preparation it takes to cater to a large quantity of guests. Another obstacle for us was knowing what prices to charge or what everything costs in order to maintain things flowing. No one teaches you these things. There’s no guide to doing business unless you have a mentor giving you all the cheat codes along the way. Its taken years of practice and experience to get past all the hurdles that accompany owning your own brand. Aside from the business side of it all raising a family of 6 kids can give you a busy schedule on top of working a daytime job.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Tacos El Pariente is a taco catering company that services all of LA but is based out of the San Gabriel Valley. Presentation and quality is what sets us apart. Presentation plays a huge part in what we do. Everything we carry with us is branded with the company logo. From napkin holders to our company cargo trailer there’s nothing that doesn’t have our brand on it. Everyone on our staff wears a black shirt with the logo in the front in big letters “Tacos El Pariente”. Quality is just as important if not more. Everything is prepared and cooked on the same day. We pride ourselves in the freshness in the food we cater to our clients. Nothing beats a quality taco.
What matters most to you? Why?
Everything I do is for the family. I hustle every day to provide and set an example for them. That’s why my family is what matters the most to me.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tacoselpariente/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Telpariente
- Other: (626) 417-6832
