We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Rodolfo Barrientos a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Rodolfo, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We believe kindness is contagious and so we’d love for you to share with us and our audience about the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?

We often equate kindness to a gift , a nice word from a friend or a helping hand when needed , the act of showing consideration for others and showing empathy. But it is a peculiar thing , because though we often associate the word with small gestures , in the grander scheme of life kindness has ripples that last for a lifetime. In my fortune, I have been blessed with many acts of kindness. Because of this, when I think of this word I always think of how kindness extends beyond politeness and superficial gestures , I think about how kindness has the power to bridge gaps , impart wisdom, lift someone up and change the whole trajectory of a soul.

It is this reason that when I think of kindness I think of my mentor . I think of the shy and lost youth I used to be . I think of the wisdom and knowledge imparted to me . I think of the paths it opened for me in a limited horizon . I think of Eric Paulucci, my boss at my first job selling yogurt .

I entered the workforce with an undocumented status . To my good fortune I was able to land a job at a trendy yogurt shop where I would work most of my youth . The job could’ve been a waste of my time , I could’ve remained an ordinary employee working 8 hours a day for minimum wage and left that job with one skill, how to swirl a cup a soft serve yogurt with a perfect and photogenic peak .

But that wasn’t the case , I left that job with skills that would pave my path, skills that gave me a fighting chance at starting my own business . I come from a humble family , my mom worked cleaning offices at night and my dad wasn’t around . The odds of me making my business work , which happened to be in the food industry were slim , to be exact I had a 70% chance of failure within the first year .

It was Eric’s teachings, Eric’s mentorship that gave me a fighting chance . I like to think he saw in me a hard working individual who could benefit from leadership skills . He couldn’t have been more right! In my time at the yogurt shop I went from being a shy youth with lack of confidence , to actually becoming a leader with insightful input and passion for training and team building. I first took over an underperforming store and shaped it into a training store . I developed 3 individuals who when off to becoming managers themselves . I trained trained international franchisees and I took over a flagship store . I was a rockstar in the yogurt world !

This was all made possible by kindness . The kindness that Eric Paulucci showed one young man . He showed me trust . He trusted I could be a leader , he pushed me off the branch and made me fly . His trust helped shape me into the man I am today . His trust helped me believe that I was capable of being an entrepreneur and the skills he showed me along the way helped me take my business from a statistic into a staple in the west side of Los Angeles. .

Rodolfo, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Rodolfo , and I’m the business owner at Gracias Senor Taqueria . We are a taco truck and taco culture movement based in west Los Angeles , the Pacific Palisades to be exact . Our MISSION : To provide quality food that not only tastes good but carries with it tradition and culture. We aim to transcend barriers by bringing people together through a delicious food experience .

I originally started the business for two main reason , to provide me a path to continue my education as a DACA beneficiary who couldn’t apply for any form of financial aid and to share with people what a good taco should taste like . We have been in business for almost 10 years now and when we started in the food scene, the taco options were limited . Restaurants weren’t doing hand made tortillas let alone food trucks . But we found a formula to bring a high quality taco with always fresh hand made tortillas to the Palisades at great value where our customers range anywhere from movie starts to your local construction worker and landscaper.

Our brand is very proud of its immigrant roots and we make it a goal to always highlight the contributions and work ethic of immigrants through our food and our connection with the community .

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I believe I owe the reputation Gracias Senor has fostered in my market to consistency and genuineness . To most entrepreneurs I think consistency is a no brainer . Reaching for the goal of staying consistent not only helped me create trust and brand recognition by always providing a high quality product . But aiming to always stay consistent helped me and my team continue to hone our skills and truly become master of our craft and in turn proving greater value and unmatched service and quality .

Staying genuine has always been important to me . As a consumer there is nothing that is more off-putting to me than a brand that treats me as if am susceptible to any sort of marketing ploy . Thus as the leader of my brand I try to treat all of my customers with respect and stay true to my roots . Refraining from utilizing any trendy tricks or gimmicks to attract business; but instead focusing more on attributes with more longevity and brand loyalty , like connecting with the community on a more personal level or really becoming knowledgeable bout our trade like no other .

Any advice for managing a team?

I’ve always been of the belief that that as the leader of my brand I have two kinds of customer . My internal and external customers . They both have needs and wants and as the leader I need to provide value . Just like with my external customer I believe most employees desire to be treated with respect and feel connected to the brand . My goal every week with my team is how can I work for them so that they find this job worthy of the time they are investing in it .

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.graciasenor.com/
• Instagram: graciasenor
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/gracias-se%C3%B1or-pacific-palisades

Image Credits
Joseph Walsh