Authentic and Then Some at El Patio
We have driven down Main Street (due to the detour) more times than I can count, but things keep popping out to my conscious mind. This end of town is not abandoned and decrepid. In fact, I am starting to believe there are hidden gems (stolen from my driver at the Red Rock Auto) up and down Main Street.
One of these gems has been recommended to us a few times, and as we were driving to Red Rock to pick up our car from repair, I told Heidi I would probably stop for lunch. I am referring to El Patio. It’s a small, colorful, but set-back from the road restaurant. As a new person to town, it doesn’t scream “Me next, me next!!”. Oh, but it should.
We picked up the car – which is a forthcoming review – and I stopped as I had indicated. As I walked in, I took it all in. To my left was a small table with two young ladies. They giggled and ran into the kitchen. Each table was laden with a selection of open containers, each having its own mix of salsas. Some might be taken back as society has gotten used to bottles and caps… but this sight made my heart sing a little bit. To the right was the cash register – right by the door, and directly facing the door was a modest whiteboard with the specials for the day.
Around that whiteboard came a young man smiling a welcoming smile and asking if I would like anything. I thought the Chorizo, Egg, and Bacon sign on the whiteboard was a burrito – so I ordered it with coffee and asked if I could eat in. He agreed and I could hear the three of them laughing and chatting in the kitchen. My Spanish is not great, so who knows what the laughter is about, and really I don’t care… I am just taking in the moments, the decor in this tiny place, the smells and enjoying their lightheartedness.
My wife, Heidi, called and agreed to meet me there… so I ordered another coffee in anticipation. I have grown to love these moments with my bride and happy she could join me.
As we waited for the meal to arrive, a woman walked in from across the street. She came in, greeted us in a mix of English and Spanish and we foolishly said “Buenos Dias”. Marta is a burst of positivity. I believe she is the owner, but she hung out with us and we had a great time. She was asking us if we spoke Spanish, how much and reassured us that it was OK to practice with her.
She seemed so excited to have us there, then the food came out. I did not order a burrito. I got a plate that to me was like the “Mexican Grand Slam”. I had Chorizo and Eggs, a hot dog looking thing – cut curled and cooked (interesting), beans, rice, and tortillas. It came on two plates and was pretty impressive. Adding the salsas from the table brought it to life.
Disclaimer!! One of my issues with restaurants is the lack of “fire” in the flavor. This is not the case at El Patio. One of the salsas is more like a Chile Oil and is hot – real hot.
As Marta hung out with us and checked on our table frequently, we talked about being new to Hutch and trying as many things as we could. To this she started talking about how the menu changes at 11:00 am and she switches over to tacos – street tacos. Marta is now speaking straight “Kurt”.
She runs off to the kitchen and grabs me a taco to try. She offers Heidi a taco but Heidi is leaving to go to work. (I am staying to eat) What does Marta do? She runs off to the kitchen to make Heidi a take away lunch. I can’t make this up.
As Heidi’s lunch is getting made without my knowledge, Marta revisits the table and tells me this is only the second day that El Patio has offered breakfast. She starts to ask questions – like a seasoned business person should – what did you like about the breakfast, what did you not like, what would you change if you were me?
After I was overful, Marta offered me a pancake — is this lady an Italian Grandmother?? I declined and waddled to the register to pay. Marta shows up with a complete takeaway lunch for Heidi and says I can take it to her job for her.
Marta then declines my offer to pay for the “Samples”. I told her I loved everything and it was ok to charge me, but she declined and informed me that they deliver.
Note to Local Business —
This is a textbook example of organically growing a business. Some might say, “Hey lady, you can’t afford to give away the store?!?!”. In business terms this is called Customer Acquisition costs. Many businesses track Acquisition Costs and form processes to optimize that investment. Marta has acquired our whole family, and little known to her… people that read this post. Tacos well-spent.
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