We welcome Rodrigo Ibarra, Vice President of Don Tortaco Mexican Grill, to SOK’s crusade to end child hunger in our communities. Rodrigo rallied his employee teams and their customers to support our recent Help Feed Their Dreams Food Drive.
The Don Tortaco story began in a small, isolated village in the mountains of Mexico where Rodrigo’s father, Apolinar, faced the daily challenges of poverty, including the constant threat of hunger.
“My dad was raised in a thatched-roof hut in the middle of nowhere by my grandfather,” Rodrigo recounts. “He had very little education so, he made sure Dad focused on school. But after fifth grade, Dad had to quit and help plant crops to feed the family.”
Apolinar soon began working at local construction sites to earn more money. Still, the family ate only one basic meal a day. And their only “treats” were eating certain insects that had a sweet taste.
“Eventually, Dad left Mexico for Southern California with $200 dollars in his pocket,” Rodrigo continued. “His motto has always been ‘if you don’t work, you don’t eat’ and he worked hard to make sure there was enough food. He collected soda cans. He worked at Denny’s, Jack In The Box and even a Chinese restaurant. He learned to speak Chinese before he learned English. He also learned a lot about the fast-food business.”
Not satisfied with the progress he was making in LA, Apolinar and his wife moved to Las Vegas in the early 90s. He started working double shifts at Roberto’s Taco Shop, now a Don Tortaco competitor.
“There were some tough times when we had trouble making ends meet,” Rodrigo admitted. “We cut expenses and never spent money on luxuries. Sometimes we had no power or no water, but we never went hungry.”
Apolinar became a licensee of the Roberto’s Las Vegas location and helped add nine new valley locations. And after years of saving everything he could, he brought seven of those restaurants – with cash, not loans – and officially opened Don Tortaco Mexican Grill. Today, Don Tortaco is one of the valley’s most recognizable restaurant names, with 26 corporate and franchise stores and more than 100 employees.
“Dad has always donated food to schools, and clothing,” Rodrigo said. “ But we’ve never worked with a non-profit organization until we got to know Serving Our Kids. When we found out how many food-insecure kids live in the valley – I can’t understand how that’s even possible – we knew we had to do more. Don Tortaco owes so much to the people of our community, and we want to give back in a way that makes a real difference.”