Marcela Bojorquez, owner of Catrina's Mexican Grill in Wasco, received a $5,000 Restaurant's Care grant to help upgrade her airconditioning units and point-of-sale system.
- Bojorquez said while she didn't expect to receive the grant funding, it's a welcome addition to help fund her projects. The two projects she's focused on immediately are upgrading her point-of-sale system and website to accept online orders, and the air conditioning unit in the building to provide a better experience for her customers and employees.
- She said as she prepares to celebrate 10 years of owning her restaurant, she increasingly feels as if the customers who come in are her family, watching them grow over time.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Quick, you have to pick a place to go to dinner, where is your favorite restaurant? Is it a chain, or is it a local place? I'm willing to bet it's a local spot.
I'm Sam Hoyle, your wasco neighborhood reporter, earlier this year, the California restaurant's foundation opened up applications for its Restaurant's care grant program.
It's a program that provides local restaurants with a 5,000 dollar grant to help them fund projects that they are in dire need of.
"I don't have family here so most of the people that come here, I know them. So they're part of my family."
Marcela Bojorquez has owned Catrina's for nearly a decade, and said, like any small business, there's always work to be done around the restaurant, but it usually boils down to what has ths the highest priority on the to-do list.
"I always have projects to make this place better, but sometimes I have to do them little by little," said Bojorquez.
Bojorquez said she applied for the grant funding a few days before the deadline and didn't expect to be chosen to receive it. But when she got the email?
"Yeah you were selected to get the 5,000 dollars," said Bojorquez recalling the initial congratulation email. "I said okay, I was so happy and excited."
Now, with $5,000 extra, she says it's a welcome addition as she looks to improve her Point of Sale system to allow for online ordering and install a new air conditioning system.
Bojorquez says the upgrade was at the top of her mind this year following a long hot summer, where the sales struggled.
"Technology has changed, people want different ways to order so that way we'll include a webpage where people can order online and also to include door dash," said Bojorquez. "Also the A/C units we have were very, very old and the weather this year didn't help, so it was a bad summer for us. This year, I think it was the worst."
Catrina's wasn't the only restaurant here in Kern County to receive a restaurant care grant, however, Bojorquez says she hopes to provide a better experience for her customers, rather, her family when they come in next time.
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