Today we’d like to introduce you to Jonathan Gaytan.
Hi Jonathan, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
We came from Arizona to try our luck in Ohio back in 2014. My father, uncle & family friend started Victors Taco Shop in 2015, I was a part of the business since day 1 but I didn’t get into the ownership part until late 2016, we had 3 locations at the time. As of November 2023, we now have 14 locations spread throughout Ohio with plans to open more & we still remain privately owned. Apart from Victors taco shop, I also Co-own J’s Barber Studio in Dayton along with my friend Jose Garcia.
Originally the plan was to open one location in Delware, OH, and I was only going to stay for a few months to help out and return back to Arizona to continue my dream of owning a barber shop. After opening the 1st location, we realized we had something special, I decided to stay & call Ohio my home and help with the expansion. I put my barber dreams on hold, and we opened a 2nd location in Marion, Ohio in September 2015, shortly after that. In March of 2016, our 3rd location opened in Fairborn, Ohio. I was still on the fence of returning to Arizona, but after months of thought, I decided to try my luck on opening up my own in Dayton, OH. Business started slow compared to every store we had opened thus far but I didn’t give up, after months of going door to door promoting the restaurant to businesses around the area and getting into social media advertising, I started seeing sales boost. During this time, we started opening the 5th location in Xenia, OH and shortly after that the 6th, 7th & 8th location all within that next year. I decided I wanted to go back to barber school and accomplish my dream to be a barber and own my own barbershop. I enrolled in late 2018 & that’s where I met my business partner for the barber studio we opened in 2020 during the pandemic. The studio was a success. I then got back into expanding the family business and opened our 9th location in Lima, OH in March 2022 alongside my father and uncle. This location is a special one because it surpassed any store we had opened; it was overwhelming yes but that didn’t stop us from looking for the 10th location. Couple of months later we opened our 10th location in Powell, OH then 3 months after that we opened our 11th in Sidney, OH. few months after that the 12th one in Trotwood, OH. We are currently working on the buildout of our 13th & 14th locations in Columbus, OH & Kettering, OH. Dates to be announced soon!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The struggles I say were the hardest was finding good employees to help us build our business. It’s hard yes, but not impossible; there are some great people out there who want to work and be a part of something great.
The other obstacle I would say is the financing part, not necessarily hard I’d say but definitely, a challenge since we paid for everything out of our own pocket and never took out a loan for any of the buildouts. That part I’m proud of. It’s definitely possible to start with the minimum amount of cash and slowly build it to an empire.
Other than those obstacles it has been a pretty smooth ride.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Victors Taco Shop?
We specialize in Mexican Food, we’re not your traditional sit-down Mexican restaurant. We understand that not everyone wants to dress up and go and sit down inside a restaurant and wait to enjoy some good Mexican food. Some people want to pull up to a drive-thru on the way home from work or on the way to work. Some may not have the budget to afford a traditional sit-down restaurant; that’s where we come in. You get the same quality food but in a fast-food manner. We make burritos, tacos, chimichangas, quesadillas, salads, enchiladas, edible taco bowls, loaded fries & nachos with all homemade ingredients. Everything is made fresh daily! We sell aguas frescas, horchata, Jamaica, watermelon & fresa (strawberry). You can walk up to our front window and order, or you can simply go through the drive-through. Some of our locations have inside dining, but not all. If you don’t have a vehicle or simply don’t have the time to come to us, don’t worry! Well, come to you. We are on DoorDash, Grubhub, and Ubereats order on our website www.victorstacoshopohio.com just click the location and order away!
How can people work with you, collaborate with you, or support you?
People can hire us to cater an event come and eat at any of our restaurants! You can order in person or online through our website.
Contact Info:
- Website: VictorstacoshopOhio.com
