Selling tortillas to running a restaurant chain: Here’s how Gabriel Barajas did it

Gabriel Barajas was born and brought up in San Fernando, California till the age of five. Then he and his family moved to Concecion De Buenos Aires in Jalisco, Mexico. His father, whose name was Luis, used to work for Gracianas Tortillas. Likewise, Gabriel too found his passion and founded “QuieresTacosWay”.

Gabriel was not privileged or from a financially stable family. Their house was barely built for the means of surviving. There was not even a heater and his sister, whose name was Claudia, would help keep him warm. This showed that even though they lacked money, they were a close-knit family full of love.

Gabriel’s father’s profession was selling tortillas. Growing up, Gabriel always felt a strong urge to help his father and family and took the responsibility of going to the neighbouring ranches and other towns for selling tortillas with his father.

Gabriel’s parents took the decision of returning to America when things were not going financially well in Mexico. The immigration process was hard since he and his siblings had documents but their parents did not.  After much turmoil, they managed to reach San Fernando Valley.

At the age of 11 or 12, Gabriel’s parents found jobs for bare sustenance. His father found a cleaning job whereas his mother found work as a janitor. He was always a compassionate and responsible kid. While other kids his age went out to play, he would help his mother vacuum, clean floors, and take the trash out.

At the age of 15, he got his first legal job at ‘Payless Food’. His work included bagging groceries. After getting married young and having a baby, he got evicted from his house and it was a very difficult time for them. At last, the family started a business, a Mexican Furniture store in San Fernando. This allowed Gabriel to purchase his house. After having a foothold, Gabriel opened another store in Canoga Park and started selling hot dogs outside his DMV business for more money.

With the revenue and savings, he started a restaurant that primarily served the classic Mexican food, tacos. He named it “TacosWay”. He wrote the menu himself. Soon after that, he took over a restaurant on Roscoe for selling his food. He did so because he dreamt of owning a restaurant chain. Even though people were discouraging, he did not give up on his dream. He worked 16 hours each day for seven days a week.

For marketing his business, his friend made a song and video which worked very well. He continued this process and got a solid social media follower base which accelerated his business.

Since then, he has founded 4 more restaurants. Gabriel Barajas is surprised and happy at his growth over the years. People love his food and his story and the customer base is increasing with time. This shows that dedication and hard work does pay off in the end!