Today we’d like to introduce you to Antonio Martinez.
Antonio, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
The answer to that question is much more complex than what I am about to say. There are different aspects of my life that molded me into the person who had the confidence and business knowledge to create “El Norteño Elotes.”
I was born in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon Mexico but I moved to the U.S when I was three years of age. I wasn’t permitted to work in the U.S until 2011 via the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. This year while in the process of applying for residency I lost my work permit and was let go by my employer.
At that point in time, I really had no idea what I was going to do, but I knew I had to do something to make money. I was between a rock and a hard place and had to make a move, quickly!
My last day at work, I was sitting on my desk texting my mom, discussing different options and ideas of how to create an income when I came up with the idea of incorporating a corn stand to our family owned Taco Shop.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
This whole Idea was brought to me by a life obstacle, so that alone was not easy, and Honestly, there has been nothing smooth about this venture. To start off, I had no clue what I was about to do because I had never made an elote in my life, all I knew was that I wanted it to be different and I wanted it to create a buzz.
One of the most difficult tasks was creating clientele. Sure, you can open a restaurant, or any kind of business, but making sure you create a loyal and persistent clientele is very difficult. As we all know, Elotes are a “go to” Mexican snack, and with the streets being so saturated it was not easy to get people who know “Good Elotes” to trust the new guy on the block.
In the beginning, “El Norteño Elotes” was a one-man operation, I was in charge of everything from Social Media Marketing, working the stand and supplying the stand with everything that I needed to make the elotes. Not being able to spend time with my Wife got overwhelming sometimes. If I didn’t put in the work, I didn’t see the results.
El Norteño Elotes – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
El Norteño Elotes brings you the Old school and the New school way of making elotes. You can come by & get a traditional elote on the cob or in a cup, but that’s not what makes us different.
Our specialty is the “CHEELOTE” which is a crowd favorite and a go-to for all hot cheeto lovers. Also every Month we come up with a new elote to keep things interesting! Which usually involves different kinds of chips.
I’m proud to say that El Norteño Elotes has been a hit not only in my local community but all over the DFW. It all started as a struggle and a simple business idea, but today I can say that I do it for the culture.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
My new favorite quote is from Phil Rosenthal “I tell people who make things like this, that you’re in the happiness business. All you do is make people happy” and as long as we continue to make peoples face light up when we pour the hot Cheetos in our elotes, that right there is what defines success to me.
Contact Info:
- Address: 306 E. Saner Avenue Dallas TX 75216
- Phone: (214)924-4740
- Email: elnortenoelotes@outlook.com
- Instagram: @elnortenoelotes
- Facebook: El Norteno Elotes
Getting in touch: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
