Teo Ramirez is not letting the impact of the pandemic thwart his plans for growth. The owner of three Mexican restaurants – one in Eugene and two in Vancouver, Washington – envisions adding two more to his “Los Potrillos” portfolio.
The pandemic was devastating to his business though. “Revenue was down 75%,” he reports. “I had 15 employees at Los Potrillos in Eugene and was able to keep only three. In my two Vancouver sites, I went from almost 50 to five employees.” He says that with the lifting of Covid-related restrictions, he’s not solely reliant on to-go orders, and he’s slowly bringing employees back to work.
Ramirez runs his small restaurant empire from the Eugene location, where he serves as bartender. His four brothers help manage the other sites, making it truly a family business. And family helped develop some of the recipes for his signature dishes like carne asada and his fajitas. But Ramirez says his claim to fame is tequila. “We have the widest selection of tequila in Oregon,” he boasts. He says he has over 200 bottles, and he recommends his scratch margarita: straight up.
Ramirez will be receiving a technology makeover as his Comcast RISE award, which includes three tablets, two laptops and a desktop computer as well as free Comcast Business internet and phone service for a year. “I run my whole business with Comcast Business. I couldn’t function without the internet.”
Minority-owned small businesses are encouraged to apply to Comcast RISE. Go to www.comcastrise.com for eligibility and application. The next deadline for applying is July 31, 2021.