Recovering economy, greater sense of safety pushing revitalization of all kinds of eateries
BY SANDRA DIBBLE(Top of article reposted with permission from author)
TIJUANA — Ten months after Miguel Angel Guerrero opened El Taller, the restaurant has exceeded his highest expectations. Customers have been packing into the converted warehouse with a corrugated tin ceiling and large wood-burning oven to celebrate family birthdays, meet business associates and catch up with friends.
“With just a little, you can do a lot,” said Guerrero, an avid hunter and diver who at times serves up his latest catch or vegetables grown on his family’s rancho. He is both the chef and majority partner of El Taller, which opened last June off Agua Caliente Boulevard with an investment of less than $160,000.
Starting in late 2007, the Great Recession and drug-related violence proved devastating for Tijuana’s restaurant industry. Many eateries struggled for survival while others closed altogether. But Guerrero saw a business opportunity in serving good food in a warm atmosphere at prices affordable enough for a younger generation of diners. The risk paid off.
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