Churros Bringing Smiles
Los Churros Del Norte of Ogden features fresh, homemade churros. Owner Tania Rodriguez opened the business hoping to bring her customers fun, happiness, and fresh Mexican food made with quality ingredients and authentic tastes.
Rodriguez got the idea for her business when she saw that homemade churros were not offered in restaurants, food trucks, or food carts in the Davis and Weber county areas. This sparked her business idea, and in addition to churros, Los Churros Del Norte offers hot dogs, rolled tacos, multiple sauces, loaded sapodillas, churro fries, and popcorn churros.
Rodriguez sells her products at farmers markets and other community events, including the Bizarre Market, Art Stroll, multiple events at The Monarch, the Fall Farmers Market, Witches Night Out, and events for the Ogden School District.
“(Shawn) was very compassionate, encouraging, and gave me insights into how to run my business. He never left my side, even when I was down and didn’t believe in myself because others discouraged us or we were running out of money.”
– Tania Rodriguez
She says the most rewarding part of her business is seeing her customers smile after they taste her food. Rodriguez credits the SBDC for helping her with financial projections, a business plan, and securing two rounds of grants from the Wildcat Microfund grant program.
“These grants helped me with marketing and allowed me to buy and repair my food carts,” she says. “And most recently, I was approved for a $35,000 loan from the Utah Microloan Fund to upgrade to a food truck! I’m so grateful because access to the funding to expand my company has been the biggest challenge in starting my business.”
Rodriguez says her SBDC counselor, Shawn Beus, made a huge difference for her as she began her startup. “We met over a dozen times,” she says. “He was very compassionate, encouraging, and gave me insights into how to run my business. He never left my side, even when I was down and didn’t believe in myself because others discouraged us or we were running out of money. Shawn was willing to explain the process and give us a voice in the community. He also speaks Spanish and could help explain things I couldn’t understand fully in English.”
When asked what advice she would share with someone wanting to start a business, she said she would tell them not to be afraid of the risks but to be ready for hard work. “Most importantly, never stop fighting for yourself and reach for your dreams,” she says.
Business Assisted by The SBDC At:
