To beat the catastrophic coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic at hand, it’s essential to acknowledge the positives. One beacon is selfless service. Numerous acts by organizations and people alike are minimizing the lasting injury. This difficult work isn’t solely executed by the ER medical doctors, nurses, and first responders constituting our final line of protection. It’s additionally the nice Samaritans doing thankless work subsequent door. We increase our glasses to all of the native heroes on the entrance traces—from all of the hospital staff to the grocery stockers, postal staff, small enterprise house owners, plus these delivering items to the aged and at-risk, #weoweyoudrink.
On this installment, we related with the proprietor of Descanso Restaurant in Orange County, CA, Rob Arellano. Having its doorways open for two years now, the restaurant has shortly develop into a well-liked staple in the neighborhood as its personal native “Fashionable Taqueria.” Nevertheless, with the global pandemic proper now, companies have been reeling, and plenty of eating places have been pressured to adapt to a brand new enterprise mannequin, or shut their doorways.
With a robust advertising background, Arellano noticed this as a chance to do one thing artistic: They started providing a free roll of bathroom paper with each $20 spent on take out. For this intelligent advertising marketing campaign, Arellano acquired news coverage all around the space.
Now, Descanso stays open for take-out seven days per week with a plethora of mouth-watering menu objects. From their Choriqueso Verde appetizer, to their savory Al Pastor, you actually can’t go fallacious. (And also you actually don’t wish to overlook about their epic to-go 32-ounce margaritas.)
Right here, Arellano offers us a bit if perception as to how he and his colleagues are dealing with this troublesome time.
Title: Rob Arellano
Title: Proprietor, Descanso Restaurant
Location: Costa Mesa, CA
Years on the Job: 2
MJ: How has your work modified within the final two weeks?
Rob Arellano: Our restaurant has modified drastically within the final two weeks. Like all different eating places we’ve got needed to shut our doorways to dine-In and shift to take-out solely. Our restaurant mannequin focuses completely on the “visitor expertise,” so closing the dine-in choice left us with an essential query… Can we proceed to function as a take-out enterprise?
After a brief deliberation with my staff, it was evident that needed to proceed primarily based on two essential components: 1. We felt it was essential to offer as a lot alternative for our workers (our household) to have a spot to work. 2. Our neighborhood, and most significantly our loyal prospects, want a way of consolation throughout occasions like these and your neighborhood restaurant offers that.
What’s the best problem at hand proper now?
The best problem is making certain that our workers and prospects are secure as attainable. After Security, which has all the time been precedence primary, sustaining our monetary stability can be an enormous problem. We’re a household owned enterprise and do not need the sources a few of the huge chains have. Though we’re open and working a take-out enterprise, it’s rather more troublesome to maintain from a monetary standpoint.
Do you are feeling at-risk/threatened?
I don’t. I really feel in case you take the mandatory precautions to maintain your work place sanitary and freed from potential hazards, the chance undoubtedly diminishes.
Do you see any indicators of hope?
I do. I see a neighborhood coming collectively and doing nice issues to fight and resolve this case. I used to be all the time taught that adversity makes you stronger. I really feel, as a neighborhood, we might be stronger popping out of this.
Ought to folks nonetheless be working?
I’ll communicate to restaurant staff and say that I do really feel they need to be working and serving their neighborhood. Folks must eat after all, however I additionally really feel it’s a good for the psychological state of each neighborhood. Folks discover consolation in meals and so they discover consolation of their favourite eating places and sorts of meals. I really feel that eating places are offering an essential service on this regard.
Take out is open Mon-Thurs four p.m.-Eight p.m., and Fri-Solar from 2 p.m.-Eight p.m. Head to their web site to check out their menu, after which name or textual content (714) 486-3798, or electronic mail data@descansorestaurant.com to position your take-out order.
Have you learnt a Neighborhood Hero making a distinction on the entrance traces of your neighborhood? There are three straightforward methods to appoint somebody to be featured: 1. Nominate your Neighborhood Hero within the feedback beneath and easily tell us why they should be featured and the way we will contact them. 2. Ship us a Direct Message on Men’s Journal Instagram together with your nomination. 3. Publish their photograph on Instagram utilizing #weoweyouadrink (both on Tales or Feed).
