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BULLHEAD CITY - Oriol’s Mexican Restaurant and Seafood in Bullhead City and the Small Business Development Center at Mohave Community College joined efforts that recently resulted in Oriol’s being recognized as one of 14 statewide award winners for small-business success.
The restaurant, owned by Oriol Bojorques and his wife, Maria Alonso, will be recognized by the Arizona Small Business Development Center Network at its 2009 Success Awards event on March 25 during a ceremony on the State Capitol grounds in Phoenix.
Oriol’s was nominated by Kelley Marsh, the SBDC coordinator at MCC. She started working with the owners of Oriol’s Restaurant to set up their business plan in 2005.
“We are very grateful for Kelley and the SBDC for helping us out,” Oriol said. “They made it very easy for us and helped us out a lot. I would gladly recommend the SBDC for any small business in Mohave County.”
It had long been the dream of Oriol and Maria to own their own restaurant. After moving from Southern California to Bullhead City in 1991, Oriol became a cook at “The Steakhouse,” a fine-dining restaurant in Laughlin, Nev.
He worked for eight years at “The Steakhouse,” six years as lead line cook, while Maria was caring for the children. All the while, they kept the dream of owning their own restaurant. They began planning and saving to make their dream a reality.
With their savings, the help of family and startup funding of $15,000 from Wells Fargo Bank, Oriol and Maria opened Oriol’s Restaurant on Jan.
20, 2004, in the old downtown area of Bullhead City.
Oriol and Maria worked very hard in their 52-seat restaurant and built a following of customers with their authentic Mexican cuisine, including homemade flan (custard), using Oriol’s great grandmother’s recipe. As the business began to flourish, the couple started saving money and planning to expand.
In 2005, they initiated a plan to build their own facility to increase seating capacity, add a bar and increase their banquet capability. Oriol and Maria sought assistance from the Small Business Development Center at MCC to prepare their loan proposal and financial projections to secure a Small Business Administration 504 loan.
Oriol and Maria moved into their new location at 1595 Mohave Drive, Building B, in Bullhead City on Oct. 20, 2008, and held their grand opening in the beautiful new facility. They have updated their offerings to include an evening steakhouse menu in addition to their traditional Mexican cuisine. The new restaurant is enjoying not only its loyal returning customers but also has increased sales from new customers.
“Through hard work, dedication and the never-ending optimism of Maria and Oriol, their dream restaurant has become a success,” Marsh said.
"The SBDC at MCC is pleased to have provided support to Oriol and Maria, as we do for small business owners and entrepreneurs throughout Mohave County with no-cost counseling services.
“Just as building a house requires a blueprint, building a successful business requires planning,” she said. “SBDC counseling covers an array of subjects, including getting started, creating a business and marketing plan and preparing loan proposals.”
For more information, call the SBDC to schedule a no-cost counseling appointment at (928) 757-0894.
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