SPRINGDALE, Ark. — Springdale classic Taqueria Guanajuato is a mom-and-pop shop started by Maria Morales and her family.
Maria's youngest, Eric, says he remembers being about 12 years old when they opened the business.
"It all started back when my mom could do like, barely look over the stovetop, looking at my grandma's recipes," Eric said. "My parents came over here, immigrated, failed a few times, and then they made it and I'd say that they're definitely living the American dream."
But even with success, Eric says that their taste and traditions from Guanajuato, Mexico remain the same.
"It kind of just transitioned into them moving to the States wanting to have their own business. And those recipes are the ones that we've used to this day," Eric said. "We have lunch here at the restaurant, our lunch break, we all eat together and make sure that that's still a very vocal point in our lives. It's just part of the culture, like, no phones, you know, still, very an old style traditional home where we have we sit down and we eat and just talk."
Eric says that the COVID pandemic made serving clients difficult but that loyalty held them through. Even now, when inflation is impacting their prices.
"A lot of people told us that they hadn't, that we're the only Mexican restaurant that they go to," Eric said. "Prices for food is just going up a lot and it's all about being super personable and making family and friends with your clientele. That'll give them a reason to really come back."
With success continuing to bless the restaurant and the importance of preserving culture, the family sees many years ahead
"I think the goal is definitely to keep this going as long as we can, or as long as me and my brother can," Eric said.
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