Sales were down, the cost of goods were up. Business was steady enough to make ends meet, but not enough to make a profit. It’s been a struggle maintaining the dream of opening a small business like Latin Deli, especially after the restaurant was vandalized earlier this month.
On Monday night, Feb. 5, an individual broke the front glass of Latin Deli at 5844 Abrams Rd, walked into the restaurant, grabbed a bottle of decorative champagne and smashed it on the floor.
Fernando Barrera, the owner and chef at Latin Deli, said he filed a report and worked with officers, but “nothing happened,” despite having security footage of the alleged suspect.
“I don’t really care if they catch him or not, I just care about me putting my windows back,” he said.
The broken window wasn’t the only problem. Business had been down for a while post-pandemic, said Barrera. The vandalism added another financial burden.
Instead of opting for a GoFundMe, Barrera shared the news on the restaurant’s Facebook page encouraging people to visit, eat and spread the word.
And the response to his Facebook post? Dallasites from all over came to eat at Latin Deli.
When customer Aimee Ramsey saw the post of the broken glass, her immediate reaction was, “We need to help, what can I do?” Since then, she has visited the deli four times, each visit bringing more and more customers.
“As a community, we have to connect and support [local businesses],” Ramsey said. “Tell your friends, word of mouth is probably the best and cheapest advertising that any small business can have. You can share posts, you can follow them on their pages … if you have been able to have an experience at the business, the you could definitely leave a great review.”
It’s been a challenging time, with the cost of goods inflating, making it harder for small businesses to stay afloat, Barrera said. For him to make the same profit as before the pandemic, he would need to sell sandwiches at $23, and even he knows that’s ridiculous.
As a way to save money without increasing deli prices, Barrera went as far as canceling his restaurant’s insurance, an additional expense he says was too much to maintain.
The repairs cost the deli $4,500 out of pocket. Fortunately, they were able to get the window replaced this week and make up the amount from the support of their neighbors over the past three weeks.
Barrera says he looks forward to staying open and is focusing on the positive, calling it a “blessing in disguise” as sales continue to increase.
Although the window is fixed, support is always needed, he adds.
“Just come to the deli, buy a cookie, buy a coffee, buy a sandwich, the same way they [were] doing it. Support, support, support the business,” he said.
