As a little girl I watched my grandmother make homemade flour tortillas every morning. She would skillfully and carefully roll out her masa, making perfect and delicious tortillas. She showed me that anything you make, you make it with love and care. That’s where my love and passion for cooking began!
I started making tamales at home and selling them door to door over 20 years ago. I dreamed of having my own restaurant one day and now I do! I am currently in a Cloud Kitchen setting; this only allows me to serve pick-up and to-go orders.
The next step is to move into my own space where I can have dine-in options along with pick-up and delivery. Something I have learned in this business is that good food brings people together. I love to share authentic Mexican street food with others and I want to continue growing my business by providing something very authentic and unique to our local community.
Business Description
Rio Burritos is a Mexican restaurant specializing in Mexican street food. We are the only Mexican restaurant in town focusing on the street food concept. Our first brick-and-mortar restaurant was opened in 2002 in Marion, Iowa and we later owned Salsa del Rio in downtown Cedar Rapids from 2010 to 2012. Rio Burritos operated out of a food truck from 2015 until 2020 and we are now located in a Cloud Kitchen setting. A few of our menu items include Quesabirria’s, a variety of Birria (including chicken, beef, pork and goat), and Mexican street style elote with an array of toppings. Another specialty item we offer, that is not available anywhere else locally, is handmade fried quesadillas. The tortillas are made fresh by hand. We are looking to move soon to a new location where we can have dine-in services available.
What is the Purpose of This Loan?
I am applying for this loan so we are able to equip our new restaurant space. We will use the funds to buy new equipment, an updated (lighted) sign for our space, and then to cover the cost of business insurance and the alcohol licensing.
These funds will make all the difference!