This conversation is the third in our series of conversations connected to the DeKalb County History Center's exhibit "Food: Gathering Around the Table" and DeKalb High School Spanish students.
Like in the first interview, the student worked with the DeKalb County History Center to contact business owner, create questions, and conducting the interviews in Spanish. While the interview is in Spanish, below is an English translation of an interview with the owner of DeKalb's Burritoville restaurant.
A special thank you to the students for all of their work, their teachers - Claudia Zempoalteca Amador and Monica Luna, project coordinator Carolina Velandia Hernandez, and District 428.
This project was made possible by generous grants from Illinois Humanities and Healing Illinois.
Rodolfo Galvan -Burritoville
Good morning Rodolfo. First of all, first of all, thank you very much for welcoming us and giving us this space of yours. This is an honor to talk with you and since your career in DeKalb is a great example of hard work. I am very interested in knowing your story and how you managed to build your business here in DeKalb County.
First of all, please spell your name.
My name is Rodolfo Galván with R O D O L F O Galván G A L V A N ok my full name
Thank you. Very much pleasure meeting you.
I would like to know a little bit of your personal history, getting to know you a little more. Where are you originally from?
I was born in Guadalajara, Mexico
Well, Guadalajara is very cheerful, very big, a lot of mariachi, a lot of tequila- all of this is the great pride in Guadalajara.
When looking back, what memories do you have of your childhood during your time in Mexico and how has that influenced or inspired you to open your business that you have today?
Well, look, the memories there are very, very marked because my parents ran a restaurant their whole life. The same thing I do now. They had their taco stands in Mexico and were very hardworking people because they didn't just have one taco stand, they had up to three taco stands - my mom worked at one, brother worked at another one, and the third one had a worker because he had a very good style of making their tacos. I can remember that [my parents] picked me up from school, and they told me to help them peel tomatillos and chop onions. But I could only do a little bit because I was 10.
Good memories, and they motivated me. You arrive here in the United States and you are motivated because you see, in Mexico it is a harder life. There is poverty there, so you are inspired to work hard to get ahead here in the United States.
You know I love hearing those kinds of stories about starting a business, especially when your parents have taught you about that business, to be successful, you need to work hard.
Well, it is the only way to get ahead [by] working [hard].
Of course. And let's talk about your arrival here. Why did you or your family choose to live here in DeKalb or DeKalb County? And how has your experience been in all this time living here?
I came here to the United States first, [but] let me start step by step. I have some uncles there in Chicago who turned 50 years old with their restaurants - unfortunately they have already died.
But since I remember, when I was 13 years old, one uncle had had a restaurant. He began to invite nephews, nephews, nephews, and relatives who wanted to come to the United States. My brother who was the first, the eldest, came here to the United States to work with him.
And after three, four years, I remember that they invited me on a trip [when they came back] to Mexico. They told me, you know what? Do you want to go? I was 13, 14 years old, I told him it would be fine because my brother is already there and he is very happy. So, it was that I decided to go.
I arrived first in Chicago. I started working there for about five to six years. When I was 20, 21 years old, that's when I decided to come to DeKalb. But not just me, [I came with] my wife, because I also got married very young, I got married 17, my wife was 16. My wife was the one who encouraged me - let's open a business.
We are going to open a business and she was the one that motivated me the most to open a business - my wife, the relatives, the whole [family]. So I come from a pure family of restaurant [owners], and thanks to my wife, someone offered us this restaurant here in DeKalb. This restaurant was for sale. I didn't have enough money. But I told my uncle - here is a business, and he goes with us to see it. He quickly said Yes. We came and that [opportunity] is why we came to DeKalb
You can say that your wife came up with the idea of opening that business.
At the age of 16! Note that this is a reason for all of you, the youth, who from now on have a goal - what it is that you want to do. Because I tell you, my wife at 16 years old was the one wo told me we are going to do it. We are going to do it.
It is interesting because I tell you I was very young, but not all young people think that way. I wish they thought about it. We were motivated and focused on what we wanted to do, [and the youth] should start thinking that way.
And I also want to know how and what were some of the difficulties you faced when you were starting your business? Since you have explained to me that you struggled a little with money, but your family helped.
Well, in reality the only thing that was hard here was that I only knew a little English. When I arrived in the United States one of my uncles told me “To go to school, go to school, I will pay you to go to school. I will help you with money so that you can study.” But I didn't want to study.
I said no, I came to work, I came to work and it was one of the biggest mistakes - especially coming here to DeKalb because there were no Mexicans. I arrived in 1991. For example, to start opening the business [I had to] make calls to gas companies, electricity. All that had to be done by people I knew. [I asked] please help me make some calls so I can get permits with the city, all that.
English was where I struggled. My wife and I struggled because we never wanted to study - you are born here, right? People who come and go from abroad if they start to study, that is a lot of help. We struggled with English - I brought the experience. I had already worked. Blessed by God, as soon as the business was opened we began to work and sell with very good sales and well.
[Another struggle was with] the sleepless ones, the children. We had a child and at that time [we started the business] I did not know my wife was pregnant with another. In about three years, we already had three children. [It was hard] with the [small] children, but a sacrifice can be made and with that you get ahead, of course.
And your kids also work in restaurants
Ah, I have two guys who help me a lot. One did not want to work with me. He did not want it because it was a little difficult, a lot of stress. So since he was a child he told me no, I'm not going to work with you. I don't like it. But the second, one of us is in charge of the kitchen here, and the oldest one has a food truck. He has his own route, his own business and there we are between the two of us. But they are both hard workers.
And you can say that your family already has the roots of working in a food business like this one?
Ok yes, because they were born there in the restaurant. I can tell you my parents, my grandparents, all that. Because they have been restaurant owners all the time - all the time [that is what the family did]. Now the grandchildren are missing. I have a grandson here in high school, and I tell him to come to work, come to work. He is 14 years old, but little by little we are pulling him in so that one day he will be my right arm.
Of course. And with all your experience with the business and with your family, with working in Chicago and then moving around at Dekalb what did you learn the most from all your experiences?
Well, we learned, because apart from the business that I was here, I had three more businesses that were restaurants as well. There was another one here at DeKalb that I sold. I had another restaurant in Rochelle. I had another restaurant in McHenry. The experience you learn is that sometimes people do not know how to [show] appreciation. Sometimes the experience is that partners do not comply, they are not so honest.
So now, the experience that I have gained is that sometimes you should not trust just anyone, and apart from that I also had a bad streak when I was very young. I began to take money very young with in the business - wasting money. That does not leave anything good.
So now for all the youth, we have to tell them that they have to behave as well as they can. We have to work hard and save for the future, because time is gone, money is gone. So, I tell young people to focus well on what they want to do and put a lot of effort into it. To take care of their money and take care of their family.
Of course, I mean, you can say that there were failures, many challenges along the way, but that didn't stop you from moving forward with your businesses, you learned from them and you moved on to be even more successful.
Well, I don't classify it as a failure because I didn't lose money. It was just very difficult for me to come and go, to come and go. That's why I kind of tell you about the partners. I took managers. Those in charge do not work as they should. Sometimes they are not so honest. So that's why I decided to sell the business. No, I didn't close the businesses when they say “Oh, well I can't anymore.” The business is not going well because there was good food, there just weren't enough tickets, so it doesn't qualify as a failure. You have to learn more, know who to trust, and know what you're going to do. Now with my family, it's already different.
Sure, there's another question that you've more or less already answered, but what has been the biggest challenge you've faced and how did you overcome it?
Challenge, notice that there have been no real challenges because we are blessed by God in the 35 years that I have been here. I feel that the business has never gone backwards. When I thought that the world was closing for me, it was when the pandemic came. We had to close the businesses. Then I thought, I should open a Drive True in the business. I opened the window, a window that I have over here and blessed be God. I announced that we had windows, we were closed inside, but the DriveTrue was going to work. Blessed God it worked because every day there were lines, lines of cars, lines of cars. I tell you that's when I felt like “What am I going to do?” with the business closed, but it worked. How did I do it? Well, thinking about opening other doors, some are closed, you have to open the others.
I love that, yes, this one, but in time, in the time of pandemic, when the disease is gone, did everything return to how it was before or have some things changed?
Many people can think differently. But for me, since the pandemic, you see that the City [of DeKalb] helped me with money. The next year my accountant tells me that you have to reapply. I think they are giving more aid for this year. I applied, and the City realized that in that time of the pandemic I sold more than in regular times.
I sold more! Blessed be to God. No, we were not all lucky. We sold more and from there it gave me the opportunity to, all the time we were closed, to remodel my entire business. I don't know how any of it happened - we completely remodeled everything from tables, equipment, and the design. Now, I feel that my business is at a very, very, very competitive level, very, very, good, very blessed by God.
First of all, God - we are in the area, here on this side. We are not in the center, we are not on a large avenue, but the people continue to follow, they continue to support us. Blessed God
For those who do not know yet, where are you located and what additional services do you offer the community?
Oh well the address is 1026 Hillcrest. Close to the high school and we have a food truck business. We have events for parties, we have a little place there for when people want to celebrate their birthdays, there is room for up to 50 people and that is what we are offering right now. We also special events because we have a liquor license.
If young people want to start a new business - What message can you give them to help them to motivate themselves to open their businesses or sell this food?
Well, the main thing I say is that if someone wants to do a business, they have to like cooking. If they like cooking, they can make the goal very clear. tThey have to take a little experience from anywhere, from any type of food they like. If you like Mexican food, then at least you have to start working a little bit in a Mexican restaurant, you like Chinese food, then go to a Chinese restaurant. Right? Go learn and have will power - the one who wants can.
The restaurant is not easy at all. Know that you are going to have to sacrifice a few years and it's not just a few hours just because being in a restaurant, you have to sacrifice hours, but where there is a will there is power, whoever wants can do it.
If one day someone wants to learn about something about a restaurant, how to open a restaurant, their own business, and I would gladly teach them - some ideas that I have, some things that I have done and I would gladly do to help any guy who wants to start a business.
Throughout this interview you have advised us a lot - you have given us very nice advice - not everything is easy in life, right? Are most things hard, especially when you want to open a business?
Well, it is not hard, it is a sacrifice. It is a sacrifice because I tell you that where there is a will, there is a way. There are many facilities here in the United States, there are many loans, there is a lot of ease. Here the government in the United States helps a lot. We have to be aware, - it is like the saying a water a flower daily, pouring water so that there are fruits.
Yes, and from your personal perspective, how do you define success for your business, since you have come a long way, especially during the time of pandemic?
Ah, I've been so motivated that I'm even thinking about opening another business.
Seriously! Where do you plan to open this business?
Ah, I was thinking about DeKalb as well, but I've been looking at other cities around here. I don't know, but it's going to be somewhere else. But yes we're still motivated. My wife is very motivated, since we don't have small children right now, let's try to open another business out there. That's why I tell you that we are very motivated, very happy, grateful to all the people here DeKlab, the people of Rochelle, and from Sycamore, follow us a lot and that is what inspires us the most.
How beautiful. What strategies do you use to motivate your work team and how do you make sure you always maintain a good relationship with your customers and your workers?
To motivate the guys working - because you always have to arrive with a good attitude, which is the main thing, to treat them well, to motivate them with respect, mainly to all the workers give them their respect, their encouragement, arrive with a good attitude, mainly that is from the workers and with the customers, because it is to greet them, go to talk, that's what I do.
My wife suddenly tells me that you stay out there for a long time talking about anything, but that's what I love to go and see - Has everything gone well once the food they like arrives. Ah, look, I brought you a dessert, I brought you something different. Be with a good attitude with the customers, and know that without customers we are nothing. Really everything you do, do it with your heart to with your customers, with your workers and with a good attitude. If I tell you, if you love what you do, everything will turn out well for you.
I love your answer, because you are talking to your customers and, I imagine that you can't talk to them for a very long time, but it's like having them as friends and always being grateful to your customers, especially because they have also helped you. And I've tried your food and their food is very delicious!
Especially your tacos al pastor.
Thank you, thank you. Notice that when a client arrives that I already know, I go and greet him. But if a client arrives that I haven't seen, maybe first time I'll go and introduce myself. What do you do, oh you know that since my name is Rodolfo, I introduce myself in what I can help. I try to offer him more of what we have and from there I introduce myself and from there they leave happy, right? Because they are not acquaintances, I say, although I don't know them. I meet and try to talk to them and introduce myself to them.
Yes, that's very, very nice. Well Rodolfo, thank you very much for opening up to me and sharing your story here in this interview. It was a pleasure to get to know the effort behind your business and it is very inspiring, this not only for my school project, but for me, for me personally and for the young people who are going to listen to this interview and for the people who want to start the business this and again. Thank you very much for supporting this DeKalb journey and business especially to support my education with your time and your experience and much success in everything that comes your way.
Well, thank you very much, I am very grateful that you have counted on me, that you have thought of me, or of my business. I am grateful to all of you. I have been a little grateful when the teachers go there, because I try to give them the best service, but I am very grateful to all of you here, with the students and teachers.
It was just a pleasure to be here with you. You put in the effort and may God bless you and give you a lot of strength to move forward, thank you very much, much intelligence.
Thanks to you, a pleasure, a pleasure.
