[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.22″ custom_padding=”||0px|||”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.6.2″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” width=”100%”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”3.25″ custom_padding=”|||” custom_padding__hover=”|||”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.2″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”]<\/p>\n
\u201cHer business plan was, we\u2019re going to cook good food, people will line up, and we\u2019re going to make enough money for when I need it. And she was lucky, but tenacious enough, to make it happen.\u201d<\/em> – Dora Herrera<\/strong><\/p>\n Yuca\u2019s Tacos in Los Feliz may look like an unassuming taco stand, but between those 80 square foot walls are 40 years of history made possible, as Dora Herrera tells it, by staying true to their values, building deep relationships within the community, and of course, making delicious, classically Mexican food. Full of anecdotes about her family business, immigrant history, and a true entrepreneur success story, Herrera\u2019s passion for improving her business made her the perfect FOUND\/LA entrepreneur.<\/p>\n Yuca\u2019s Tacos in Los Feliz may look like an unassuming taco stand, but between those 80 square foot walls are 40 years of history made possible, as Dora Herrera tells it, by staying true to their values, building deep relationships within the community, and of course, making delicious, classically Mexican food. Full of anecdotes about her family business, immigrant history, and a true entrepreneur success story, Herrera\u2019s passion for improving her business made her the perfect FOUND\/LA entrepreneur.<\/p>\n When the Herrera family first opened the taco stand in Los Feliz, people were unfamiliar with traditional Mexican food. But Dora\u2019s mom, the original cook, stayed true to her authentic cuisine. Says Herrera, \u201cPeople were very reluctant to not eat hard tacos. But she was very adamant that she was here to sell Mexican food, not americanized versions. She would just say, \u2018Try it. And if you don\u2019t like it, go away and don\u2019t pay me, I don\u2019t care. But if you love it, then please tell everyone else.\u2019\u201d Needless to say, people loved it.<\/p>\n Getting those initial customers was another challenge. Herrera\u2019s brother used to stand by the side of the road and wave cars down. He\u2019d tell them to try their food, and if they didn\u2019t like, they would get double their money back. Once again, everyone loved the food. According to Herrera, \u201cWe did a little guerrilla marketing before it existed, and it worked.\u201d<\/p>\n Their first big break was when food writer a food writer for the LA Times, wrote an article about them. Not just an article, but a two-page spread in the center of the Food section. Recounts Herrera, \u201cGod bless Mindy because she showed up at 9 am, and just said, \u2018I\u2019ll help with the phone calls.\u2019 And my mom was like,\u2019phone calls?\u2019 The phone started ringing off the hook. And she\u2019d answer, \u2018Yes, I\u2019m the author, and you don\u2019t need reservations.\u2019 And she stayed from 9 am \u2018til like 5 or 6, answering the phones, greeting people.\u201d<\/p>\n Like any ambitious business owner, Herrera looked to expand her business, but a second location led to some ups and downs. Their first second location, in Hollywood, was opened in 2007 – right before the 2008 economic crash. Although they made it work for a while, the rising rents forced them out a few years later – sadly, a typical LA entrepreneurship story. Their second location in Pasadena, however, is still thriving. Herrera credits their success with their foothold in the community, once again. As their Los Feliz customer base grew up, and began their own families, they moved to Pasadena. One of their former customers recommended Yuca\u2019s in Pasadena to the CEO of La Plaza, and they came an approved vendor for catering – something that\u2019s changed their business for the better.<\/p>\n As Herrera tells it, it\u2019s the authentic connection with her customers that allowed them to build a strong fan base across the generations, and also the network that allowed their business to reach new heights. Their customers, a very \u201cEast-side LA\u201d mix of photographers and writers, would remember Yuca\u2019s Tacos. Customers like photographer Greg Gormand. Gormand would take business meetings at Yuca\u2019s, and years later, ended up creating the welcome video to the United States for Homeland Security – featuring his favorite taco place, Yuca\u2019s Tacos. \u201cSo now every time you come in to the United States, there\u2019s a seven minute loop video of \u201cWelcome to the United States,\u201d and we\u2019re in that! Thanks to Greg! So it\u2019s like, generations of cool stuff, stuff that happens, that connects you to something or somebody else, and that\u2019s just beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n We couldn\u2019t agree more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.6.2″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.6.2″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.2″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”||||true|false” custom_padding=”30px|30px|30px|30px|true|true” border_width_all=”2px”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.6.2″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”||||true|false” custom_padding=”30px|30px|30px|30px|true|true” border_width_all=”2px”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” _builder_version=”4.6.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”51px|||||”][et_pb_nextend_smart_slider_3_fullwidth _builder_version=”4.6.2″ _module_preset=”default” slider=”5″ hover_enabled=”0″ sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_nextend_smart_slider_3_fullwidth][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" From 80 Square Feet to Forty Years of History<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3115,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" \u201cHer business plan was, we\u2019re going to cook good food, people will line up, and we\u2019re going to make enough money for when I need it. And she was lucky, but tenacious enough, to make it happen.\u201d<\/em> - Dora Herrera<\/strong><\/p>\n Yuca\u2019s Tacos in Los Feliz may look like an unassuming taco stand, but between those 80 square foot walls are 40 years of history made possible, as Dora Herrera tells it, by staying true to their values, building deep relationships within the community, and of course, making delicious, classically Mexican food. Full of anecdotes about her family business, immigrant history, and a true entrepreneur success story, Herrera\u2019s passion for improving her business made her the perfect FOUND\/LA entrepreneur.<\/p>\n Yuca\u2019s Tacos in Los Feliz may look like an unassuming taco stand, but between those 80 square foot walls are 40 years of history made possible, as Dora Herrera tells it, by staying true to their values, building deep relationships within the community, and of course, making delicious, classically Mexican food. Full of anecdotes about her family business, immigrant history, and a true entrepreneur success story, Herrera\u2019s passion for improving her business made her the perfect FOUND\/LA entrepreneur.<\/p>\n When the Herrera family first opened the taco stand in Los Feliz, people were unfamiliar with traditional Mexican food. But Dora\u2019s mom, the original cook, stayed true to her authentic cuisine. Says Herrera, \u201cPeople were very reluctant to not eat hard tacos. But she was very adamant that she was here to sell Mexican food, not americanized versions. She would just say, \u2018Try it. And if you don\u2019t like it, go away and don\u2019t pay me, I don\u2019t care. But if you love it, then please tell everyone else.\u2019\u201d Needless to say, people loved it.<\/p>\n Getting those initial customers was another challenge. Herrera\u2019s brother used to stand by the side of the road and wave cars down. He\u2019d tell them to try their food, and if they didn\u2019t like, they would get double their money back. Once again, everyone loved the food. According to Herrera, \u201cWe did a little guerrilla marketing before it existed, and it worked.\u201d<\/p>\n Their first big break was when food writer a food writer for the LA Times, wrote an article about them. Not just an article, but a two-page spread in the center of the Food section. Recounts Herrera, \u201cGod bless Mindy because she showed up at 9 am, and just said, \u2018I\u2019ll help with the phone calls.\u2019 And my mom was like,\u2019phone calls?\u2019 The phone started ringing off the hook. And she\u2019d answer, \u2018Yes, I\u2019m the author, and you don\u2019t need reservations.\u2019 And she stayed from 9 am \u2018til like 5 or 6, answering the phones, greeting people.\u201d<\/p>\n Like any ambitious business owner, Herrera looked to expand her business, but a second location led to some ups and downs. Their first second location, in Hollywood, was opened in 2007 - right before the 2008 economic crash. Although they made it work for a while, the rising rents forced them out a few years later - sadly, a typical LA entrepreneurship story. Their second location in Pasadena, however, is still thriving. Herrera credits their success with their foothold in the community, once again. As their Los Feliz customer base grew up, and began their own families, they moved to Pasadena. One of their former customers recommended Yuca\u2019s in Pasadena to the CEO of La Plaza, and they came an approved vendor for catering - something that\u2019s changed their business for the better.<\/p>\n As Herrera tells it, it\u2019s the authentic connection with her customers that allowed them to build a strong fan base across the generations, and also the network that allowed their business to reach new heights. Their customers, a very \u201cEast-side LA\u201d mix of photographers and writers, would remember Yuca\u2019s Tacos. Customers like photographer Greg Gormand. Gormand would take business meetings at Yuca\u2019s, and years later, ended up creating the welcome video to the United States for Homeland Security - featuring his favorite taco place, Yuca\u2019s Tacos. \u201cSo now every time you come in to the United States, there\u2019s a seven minute loop video of \u201cWelcome to the United States,\u201d and we\u2019re in that! Thanks to Greg! So it\u2019s like, generations of cool stuff, stuff that happens, that connects you to something or somebody else, and that\u2019s just beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n We couldn\u2019t agree more.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\nENTREPRENEUR STORY<\/strong><\/h2>\n