Meet Ana Ballestero of Soo Good Lutong Pinoy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ana Ballestero.

Hi Ana, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Before Soo Good, I was actually working full-time as a nurse. My husband Aaron was also working full-time in an office, and we were raising our two kids, so owning a restaurant was definitely not something we had planned.

My mom was working at a Filipino restaurant called Manila Good Ha at the time, and in 2019, the owner decided to sell. The opportunity came up for us to take over, and Aaron and I decided to take a chance. I left nursing and went all in on the restaurant. We officially took over in May 2019, and by July, Soo Good Lutong Pinoy was born.

It was definitely scary leaving a stable career and stepping into something completely different, but thankfully I didn’t have to do it alone. My mom helped manage the restaurant and brought her experience from already working there, while Aaron continued working full-time and handled the financial side. It really became a family business.

Then, not even a year later, COVID happened. We were still learning how to be restaurant owners, and suddenly we were trying to figure out how to keep a restaurant going during a pandemic. There were a lot of difficult and uncertain moments, but we adapted, kept going, and somehow made it through together.

Looking back now, I’m really glad we took that chance. Soo Good wasn’t some big business plan we had for years. It was an opportunity that came our way, we took a risk, and it became something really special to our family. Seven years later, we’re still here in Glendale serving our community and sharing the Filipino food we grew up with, and I’m really proud of that.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It definitely hasn’t always been a smooth road. Our biggest challenge came pretty quickly because less than a year after taking over the restaurant, COVID happened. We were still new business owners and still learning, so suddenly having to navigate a pandemic on top of that was scary.

Like many small restaurants, we had to adjust quickly. There was so much uncertainty, and we didn’t know what the next few months would look like or if we would even be able to keep going. We just focused on taking it one day at a time, keeping our costs under control, adapting to the changes, and doing whatever we could to keep Soo Good open.

Even after COVID, owning a small restaurant has continued to have its challenges. The cost of food, supplies, rent and basically everything else has gone up, and there are always unexpected expenses. Some months are better than others, and you learn very quickly that owning a restaurant is definitely not easy. 😂

But I think going through COVID so early taught us how to adapt and keep moving forward. We’ve learned a lot along the way, and seven years later, we’re still here. I think that’s something our whole family is really proud of.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Soo Good Lutong Pinoy is a family-owned Filipino restaurant in Glendale. We serve traditional Filipino comfort food—the kind of food we grew up eating and the dishes that remind you of home.

We offer a variety of Filipino favorites, from breakfast silogs to dishes like adobo, sinigang, kare-kare, pancit, lumpia and many more. We also offer catering for family gatherings, birthdays, parties and other special occasions.

What I’m most proud of is that we’ve been able to keep Soo Good very family-oriented and authentic. We’re not trying to make Filipino food fancy or change it into something it’s not. We want it to feel familiar, comforting and homemade. A lot of our customers have been coming to us for years, and getting to know them and their families has been one of my favorite parts of owning the restaurant.

For someone who has never tried Filipino food before, I also love being able to introduce them to our food and culture. And for our Filipino customers, I love when they tell us something reminds them of a dish their mom or grandma used to make. That’s probably one of the best compliments we can get.

At the end of the day, we just want people to come in, enjoy good Filipino food and leave thinking, “It’s Soo Good.” 😊

How do you think about luck?
I definitely think luck has played a part in our story. The opportunity to take over the restaurant came unexpectedly, and looking back, I feel lucky that it came to us when it did. We weren’t looking to own a restaurant, but sometimes the best opportunities are the ones you didn’t plan for.

At the same time, our timing wasn’t exactly lucky! 😂 We took over in 2019 and then COVID happened less than a year later. If someone had told me when I left nursing that a global pandemic was coming and we would be trying to keep a new restaurant alive through it, I probably would have thought twice!

But one of the biggest blessings that came from taking this chance was being able to have more flexibility and be there for my kids as they were growing up. Owning a business definitely comes with its own stresses, but having that time with them is something I’ll always be grateful for. Looking back, leaving nursing ended up giving me something I didn’t fully realize I was gaining at the time.

I also believe luck can only take you so far. We were lucky to have the opportunity, but keeping Soo Good going took a lot of hard work, sacrifice and support from our family. My mom, Aaron and I each played a different role, and we figured things out together as we went.

So I would say we’ve had a little bit of good luck, a little bit of bad luck, and a whole lot of learning along the way. Seven years later, I feel very lucky that we’re still here—and especially grateful that taking this chance allowed me to be more present for my family along the way.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @soogoodlutongpinoy
• Yelp: Soo Good Lutong Pinoy

Image Credits
personal photos and uber eats photo