Author: Rachel Azar, BSU student
Ezequiel and Gloria Sandoval are the owners of Cancun Family Mexican Restaurant in Kingston, Massachusetts. The Sandovals have been running their restaurant since November 2006 and have been voted Greater Plymouth’s Best Mexican Restaurant for thirteen years running.
I asked the Sandovals several questions about their business and what they are all about.
So, let’s start with are you from this local area?
We are originally from Mexico and lived in California for many years before moving to Kingston, Massachusetts which has become our home since.
Tell me about your business. Why did you choose this line of business?
We chose this line of business mainly because of our friends and relatives being involved in the business and working for them. Working in a restaurant was something that we always wanted to do, and the people around us inspired us to do just that.
What was it that made you want to start this business?
Again, our relatives and close friends made us want to start this business, and they were very supportive throughout. We actually originally always wanted to open a tacorito in California, but then we moved to Massachusetts and opened our restaurant in Kingston.
What is the toughest part about having a business in 2020?
The toughest thing would probably have to be obtaining good staff.
If a customer was to choose between your business and 3 others just like it why would you suggest they at least give you a try first? What makes you stand out?
The thing that makes us stand out would have to be how authentic our food is. We make everything from scratch, and in fact what we serve is what we eat ourselves as our family is always sitting down and having meals at the restaurant. We also have a very friendly staff that does an excellent job engaging with customers and works wonderfully together as a team.
What is the number 1 way you currently bring in new customers?
We tend to bring in new customers primarily through word of mouth and people talking about us. We always have people coming in saying their neighbor or friend or a relative recommended them to come to the restaurant.
Where do you personally want to be with business? Would you like to increase or decrease your role, step away and be more of a manager, or be a more passive owner? Why?
Right now our roles are primarily as managers, but we do have a manager to help us run everything. Five years ago I probably would not have said this, as we had to work many long hours every day. Now in 2020 we feel very satisfied with where we are with the business.
What drives you?
In general, we just love what we do in the restaurant industry. We love the fact that we own a restaurant and just love coming in and being at the restaurant, and our favorite part is talking to our customers. We have even seen some of our customers grow from children in carriages into young adults coming in for date night.
Visit Cancun Family Mexican Restaurant at 145 Main Street in Kingston, MA.
Contact them via:
Telephone: 781-585-0060
Email: cancunkingston@gmail.com
Website: www.cancunkingston.com
Facebook: @cancunrestaurantkingston