Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Balderas Tamale Factory Balderas Tamale Factory . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Balderas Tamale Factory , thrilled to have you on the platform as I think our readers can really benefit from your insights and experiences. In particular, we’d love to hear about how you think about burnout, avoiding or overcoming burnout, etc.
Sometimes we feel like we’re robots, majority of us wake up at the same time every morning, and majority of us get off work at the same time. It’s almost like we’re on a travelator that conveyer belt you see in the airports. The belt taking us all in the same direction, to work and home 5 days out of the week. Like robots doing it over and over again for the next 30 years straight. We’ve come to find that working in the restaurant industry you see different people every. single. day. Some you see regularly, you meet their loved ones and become friends that are everlasting. And others happen to be new customers.
Our grandpa always told us when we worked at his restaurant, Little Red Wagon in Round Rock, Texas. “You are the first person a customer sees, they could be having the crappiest day, and as soon as they walk in and you say How you doin’ with the biggest smile on your face and compliment them. It could turn their entire day around. A smile for a smile.”
We have also have had, as restaurant owners the crappiest days as well, some don’t show up for work, some days an equipment just stops working and throws your entire day off, just trying to just get through the day and trouble shoot the problem. And you have one customer, just one tell us “Great food, keep doing what you’re doing I’ll be back tomorrow.” We have talked to probably thousands of people, and some have imprinted on our hearts, but that’s what avoids the burnout for that social connection with customers.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
In 2002 Michael Balderas quit his job as a machinist for over 20 years to follow his father Dan’s foot steps. At 17 years of age Dan joined the U.S. Army, working in food service for six years. Dan learned the ins and outs of cooking while furthering his education. He returned to the United States in 1952 and was stationed in Fort Hood. He was promoted to staff sergeant and became master in charge of the restaurant kitchen. Dan had dreams of owning a restaurant, so with the support of his beloved wife Connie, Dan started selling tacos from the trunk of his car in Round Rock, Texas. Dan & Connie’s name may be as iconic to longtime Round Rock residents as their restaurants.
So with the help and guidance of Dan and Connie, Michael took a leap of faith with him and his wife Juany. They started cooking tamales in their home and selling them on the streets along with their daughters Alyssa and Arianna in Houston, Texas. With the heat in Houston the vehicle they used was kind enough on some days for the A.C. to work, but they continued to sell them. Michael had faith they would sell out and they did, and the next day, and the day after that. Soon that was not the only thing selling out. Their stove was also going out, and their home smelled like spices. They both came to a decision to open up the first factory. Not long after that, they opened up and made it official “Balderas Tamale Factory” on Grant Rd. A small space with bar stools, a window that looked into the kitchen, and walls covered in sheet metal. A space that still has the same layout today, and is well known. Within the 9 years of opening the restaurant on Grant Rd they expanded several times and because the customers deserved better, larger seating area, and more work space for the crew to add more menu items; they started from scratch building bigger and better on Jones Rd. While much was new, rest assured the menu items and taste stayed the same.
2019 was a momentous year for the Balderas Family. Most significant was that, after a brief illness, our beloved founder, husband, and father, Mike Balderas passed away in April. He was wise in so many ways and prepared us to continue to fulfill his dream to make Balderas Tamale Factory the standard by which all others are assessed. We are proud to be well underway toward his goal.
The restaurant today includes the home-style cooking, decor and Tejano Music he grew up on in San Antonio.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
In 2019 our father Michael Balderas passed. The leader/owner of Balderas Tamale Factory, our father whom was our walking Alexa taught us never to give up, and when you get tired give it to God. So we took on the challenge of keeping Balderas Tamale Factory open and operating. We were our dads right hand women and boy did we learn so much and soaked it up like a sponge when we were younger. At times we get so discouraged and want to throw the towel in, we look at our dads picture in our office and sit for a second and it’s almost like he whispers to us “You’ve got this.” We’ve had some people tell us “y’all inherited a business everything was done for you.” It was, but it takes the knowledge to keep the business going. It’s like that saying “Give a man a fish he eats for a day, teach a man to fish he eats for eternity.”
Don’t give up on yourself. We know it sounds cliche but really don’t. It’s okay to not be okay take some time take a month or 4, feed yourself, be nice to yourself, but don’t ever ever give up on yourself.
When our parents first started selling tamales they sold them in a beat up van where the A.C. some days was kind enough to work and with this heat in Houston it was brutal. Our dad drove and our mom sold, she wold go to gas stations, barber shops, mechanic shops, hair studios. anywhere. Thursdays our mom used to take maybe 100 dozen and sell them in the evenings by herself. My sister and I started to go with her to help her so she could finish quicker. A lot of times was saw her being shooed away or kicked out. She would come back to the van buckle up and say “where to next girls.” My sister and I would look at each other and shrug “okay mom.” Not once did we see her break down and cry and maybe she did once she got into bed maybe a comment someone said to her broke her, but she never broke down in front of us. She showed us that giving up is not the answer. Today the people that she sold tamales on her Thursday evening route still come into the restaurant and have the upmost respect for our momma.
Don’t take criticism to heart. Our dad told us don’t take criticism too deep. and boy that was always difficult. We’ve had people write some of the most degrading reviews, it hits a nerve and keeps you up at night. So he told us, take a small piece from the degrading review and what are they trying to really tell you, look past the wording can you use that review and make the restaurant better? So every bad review we get we turn it around and use it to make changes for the better.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
It has been more than 3 years since the passing of our father, we’ve learned that broken crayons still color. The world keeps going, time doesn’t stop so you can get on, and grief doesn’t come with a manual on “How To.” The first time we walked into the restaurant after a couple of days after our father passed, customers and employees were shocked to see us back so soon. We felt our dad at the restaurant more than anywhere else and it was comforting being at the restaurant. We have released projects that we would have wanted him to be around to see, and new menu items that he would have loved, we tell ourselves we have to keep going. Walking out the front door of the restaurant at the age of 15 not knowing what we know well into our 30’s I would say is our biggest growth and we are still learning/growing.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://balderastamalefactory.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/balderastamalefactory/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/balderastamalefactory/
Image Credits
All photos belong to Balderas Tamale Factory and where taken by one crew member from Balderas Tamale Factory.
