While many restaurants and businesses are closing in and around Portland, Oregon some restaurant owners like Maria Garcia are bucking the trend and opening new businesses.

Garcia is representative of the restaurant industry, which according to the US Census, has more minorities and women as leaders and owners than any other business sector in the United States.

From 2014-2020 Garcia owned and operated Revolucion Coffee, an authentic Mexican coffee shop that bubbled with activity in downtown Portland near Portland State University. It was a vibrant coffee shop that served local federal courthouse employees, hotel patrons, office workers, and campus staff and students.

Then the pandemic hit.

Hard Times

2020 was especially tough on the entire Oregon restaurant industry which Oregon Governor Kate Brown forced to shut down and stay shut down longer than almost any other state.

Despite facing her own hardships, Garcia used this time to help other Latino business owners apply for federal Paycheck Protection Program loans and direct them to resources she had learned about through Prosper Portland and other business groups.

“Literally people didn’t know that grants were available,” she said.

She describes many of her fellow Latino business owners as having a lot of hesitation to reach out for help.  “We are very hands on and 100% invested in our businesses.”

Ghost Town

During the shutdown Garcia remodeled and made improvements to her restaurant. When she was finally able to reopen, Garcia’s sales were only “$15-$30 a day.  The most I made was $100 in a day.”   With almost non-existent foot traffic and office buildings closed, there weren’t enough customers to support her business.

“Nothing reactivated after that,” said Garcia.

A bleak downtown Portland scene affected by rioting, vandalism, illicit drug use, and homelessness, added to the stress of operating her coffee shop and Garcia decided to look to the suburbs for a better place to do business.

New Start

In the Clackamas County city of Happy Valley, Garcia found a vibrant, growing town that was business-friendly, welcoming and just the place for her new restaurant – Yolotl Mexican Cuisine.

Her restaurant’s name Yolotl (pronounced Yo-Lot) is a native word in the Nahautl language from Central Mexico meaning “heart”.

Garcia’s can-do spirit and heart for bringing people together culminated in the vision for her new restaurant becoming a reality in September of 2022.  During the grand opening, Yolotl was bustling with patrons lined out the door waiting for a table, enjoying authentic Mexican dishes, hand-crafted cocktails, and acoustic guitar music.

Of her business grit she says, “I make things happen and that’s what I like to do.  I like to see results and these challenges help me to be more creative and develop myself.”

Online, Yolotl customers have shared positive reviews: “the food was so delicious and fresh” and “Great service and a wonderful place to enjoy small batch tequilas”.

Together with her staff, including her sister who specializes in baking, Garcia is living out her American dream.  When asked what motivates her, Garcia says, “I believe we should keep our identity through food — and celebration of our culture is the way to do it! I’m proud and happy of my heritage.”