Neighborhood Heroes: Rob Arellano, Descanso Restaurant
To conquer the catastrophic coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic at hand, it is crucial to identify the positives. Just one beacon is selfless service. Plenty of functions by corporations and persons alike are reducing the long lasting damage. This difficult function isn’t only done by the ER physicians, nurses, and initial responders constituting our previous line of protection. It is also the excellent Samaritans carrying out thankless function subsequent doorway. We elevate our glasses to all the neighborhood heroes on the front lines—from all the medical center employees to the grocery stockers, postal employees, compact business enterprise proprietors, plus these delivering items to the aged and at-possibility, #weoweyoudrink.
In this installment, we linked with the operator of Descanso Restaurant in Orange County, CA, Rob Arellano. Owning its doors open up for 2 a long time now, the restaurant has swiftly develop into a common staple in the group as its very own neighborhood “Modern Taqueria.” Even so, with the global pandemic correct now, businesses have been reeling, and numerous dining places have been compelled to adapt to a new business enterprise design, or close their doors.
With a solid internet marketing background, Arellano noticed this as an option to do a little something innovative: They started offering a free roll of toilet paper with each and every $twenty used on get out. For this intelligent internet marketing campaign, Arellano acquired news protection all above the area.
Now, Descanso remains open up for get-out 7 days a 7 days with a plethora of mouth-watering menu items. From their Choriqueso Verde appetizer, to their savory Al Pastor, you definitely can not go completely wrong. (And you certainly do not want to neglect about their epic to-go 32-ounce margaritas.)
Below, Arellano offers us a little bit if perception as to how he and his colleagues are handling this tricky time.

Identify: Rob Arellano
Title: Owner, Descanso Restaurant
Location: Costa Mesa, CA
Several years on the Career: 2
MJ: How has your function improved in the previous two weeks?
Rob Arellano: Our restaurant has improved substantially in the previous two weeks. Like all other dining places we have experienced to close our doors to dine-In and shift to get-out only. Our restaurant design focuses totally on the “guest knowledge,” so closing the dine-in option left us with an crucial question… Can we go on to work as a get-out business enterprise?
Immediately after a brief deliberation with my workforce, it was obvious that experienced to go on based mostly on two major components: 1. We felt it was crucial to present as considerably option for our staff members (our loved ones) to have a put to function. 2. Our group, and most importantly our loyal buyers, have to have a sense of comfort all through instances like these and your neighborhood restaurant provides that.
What is the finest problem at hand correct now?
The finest problem is making sure that our workers and buyers are harmless as achievable. Immediately after Protection, which has always been priority range one, protecting our monetary balance is also a substantial problem. We are a loved ones owned business enterprise and do not have the assets some of the big chains have. Despite the fact that we are open up and working a get-out business enterprise, it is considerably additional tricky to sustain from a monetary standpoint.
Do you come to feel at-possibility/threatened?
I do not. I come to feel if you get the essential safety measures to keep your function put sanitary and free of likely dangers, the possibility unquestionably diminishes.
Do you see any signs of hope?
I do. I see a group coming with each other and carrying out good items to combat and solve this predicament. I was always taught that adversity would make you more robust. I come to feel, as a group, we will be more robust coming out of this.
Should really men and women even now be doing the job?
I will speak to restaurant employees and say that I do come to feel they really should be doing the job and serving their group. Folks have to have to consume of study course, but I also come to feel it is a excellent for the psychological point out of each and every group. Folks discover comfort in foodstuff and they discover comfort in their favourite dining places and varieties of foodstuff. I come to feel that dining places are providing an crucial service in this regard.
Acquire out is open up Mon-Thurs 4 p.m.-eight p.m., and Fri-Sunlight from 2 p.m.-eight p.m. Head to their website to look at out their menu, and then call or textual content (714) 486-3798, or e-mail [email protected] to put your get-out order.
Do you know a Community Hero generating a difference on the front strains of your group? There are 3 effortless strategies to nominate a person to be showcased: 1. Nominate your Community Hero in the opinions under and basically let us know why they ought to have to be showcased and how we can contact them. 2. Send us a Direct Information on Men’s Journal Instagram with your nomination. 3. Write-up their photograph on Instagram applying #weoweyouadrink (both on Tales or Feed).