Raul Luis of Birrieria Chalio: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became a Restaurateur

An Interview With Martita Mestey

I wish I was told that there are no rules in the restaurant industry. You can create any type of dish with any garnishments you’d like. When I first started out, I would copy other local successful restaurants, yet this inhibited me from standing out from the pack.

As a part of our series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Became a Restaurateur”, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Raul Luis.

For almost 50 years, Raul’s family has been making and selling birria, starting from selling it out of their family home to now owning multiple restaurants throughout California and Texas. Learning how to cook and perfect his birria recipe while in the Bracero program, Raul’s father introduced birria to Los Angeles. In the early 70’s, Raul’s family made and sold traditional chivo birria out of their home. Now Raul is a proud owner of restaurants that carry the nickname of his father, Chalio’s. Raul is a part of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 small businesses in Long Beach, CA, which supports the growth and job creation of small businesses.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to ‘get to know’ you a bit. Can you share with our readers a story about what inspired you to become a restaurateur?

My name is Raul Luis, and I am owner/operator of Birrieria Chalio, which specializes in serving Birria de Chivo. Traditional birria is served on a dish and topped with consomme (tomato-based broth). Birria’s birthplace in Mexico is the state of Jalisco. My family and I have been serving this dish since the 1970’s, and our restaurant is one of the first Birrieria’s in Los Angeles and the United States. We started our business out of our home in the East Los Angeles area, serving guests in our backyard. We eventually outgrew the home-based business and moved into brick-and-mortar locations, operating Birrieria Chalio in Los Angeles and Fort Worth, Texas. You may be familiar with birria and quesabirria tacos (beef). We serve the quesabirria tacos, but also offer quesachiva tacos (goat, lamb), however, birria is traditionally served on a plate as a stew and is made of goat or lamb. I’ve been working in the restaurant business for more than 40 years.

Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that happened to you since you became a restaurateur? What was the lesson or take away you took out of that story?

There is a saying in the restaurant industry that no two days are alike, and there are never dull moments. A moment that I recall regularly is when I graduated from the University of Southern California Entrepreneurial program. Many of my friends went to work for different corporations, but I decided to go into the restaurant business on my own. They visited me to say hi while I was cooking food, washing dishes, and cleaning up (wearing all the hats). I was wearing an apron while they were dressed in suits and ties. “Is this what you went to college for?” one my friends asked. I looked at him, scratched my head, and paused for what seemed like an eternity as images flashed through my mind about whether I should continue my endeavor. While I had some doubt, I responded that this was what I wanted to do, and it’s been the best decision I ever made. Shortly after my friends visited, I was invited to participate in the Taste of Los Angeles being held at the Democratic National Convention. Restaurants were asked to showcase the culinary scene in Los Angeles to all participants. I was excited… we had to drive in every morning with our food supplies as security inspected our vehicle. They placed mirrors on the undercarriage of our van and had bomb-sniffing dogs inspect the vehicle. As they did this, the agent opened the back door to our van and a tray of beans spilled onto the floor, causing a mess. The dogs began sniffing our food. It was embarrassing yet funny at the same time, as some of the dogs ate our food. From that day forward, I always secure all food and strap it down whenever I have a catering event.

Can you tell us a story about the hard times that you faced when you first started your journey? How did you overcome this obstacle?

I began exploring food manufacturing, got a license from the FDA program as a small business, then sought revenue streams. I visited a movie theater and, while there, ordered a burrito. As I ate while watching the movie, an idea came to me: I could make a much tastier restaurant-style burrito for the theater chain. I ended up getting a contract with AMC to provide them 20,000 burritos. I went out and invested in special equipment, conveyors, refrigeration, and a modified air packaging machine (vacuum tray sealer). After investing in all this new equipment and prepping for my delivery date, the buyer stopped returning my phone calls. As the day approached, he would not return my calls, so I went to his office and waited in the parking lot for him. As he came out, I confronted him and asked what happened. I was ready to deliver a superior product, but he didn’t say much other than, “You will thank me later,” before walking away. I was confused, upset, and hurt. I had spent thousands of dollars, taking on debt for this project. About a month later, I read in the paper that AMC filed for bankruptcy. I now understood that he could not disclose what AMC was planning. Had I delivered product for that month (now 80,000 burritos), I would have been hurt financially beyond repair. As a result, I now understand things happen for a reason, and I pivoted by selling some of my products to stadiums using the equipment I purchased (Staples Center, Anaheim Pond, Greek Theater, Los Angeles Convention Center, etc.).

In your experience, what is the key to creating a dish that customers are crazy about?

There is no secret formula for creating a special dish. The only requirement is to make it the best possible dish with the best ingredients. Don’t cut corners in an attempt to save time or money. Serve each dish as if it were for a friend or family member.

Personally, what is the ‘perfect meal for you’?

I am a very simple meat and potatoes kind of guy. When I eat a dish, I examine all aspects of it: how it was cooked and presented, including any garnishments that are used to plate the meal. Most restaurateurs can distinguish how each dish is prepared. The meal must be at its required temperature if it’s a hot plate. Same as if it’s a cold dish, such as shrimp cocktail. If the meal is served at the correct temperature, then it’s the perfect meal. Ultimately, all items on the dish must complement each other.

Where does your inspiration for creating come from? Is there something that you turn to for a daily creativity boost?

There are so many ideas that come to mind, and they primarily come from eating out and visiting different countries. This includes other Mexican restaurants and ideas from employees, who have migrated from different regions in Mexico and Latin America. Over the years, employees would create dishes for themselves for lunch, and eventually share them with me and other colleagues. I would watch the different herbs, spices and cooking techniques they would use. The food represents their hometown cooking style, which in my opinion, is the best. Many items on my menu have come from employees. For example, I have a green chile stew plate that a lady from Michoacan taught me how to master. Served with eggs for breakfast, this dish was voted as the best chile verde in Los Angeles by Los Angeles Times writer Barbra Hansen. The difficult part in recreating these dishes is to prepare them in large batches, which is very different from small, home-style ones.

Are you working on any new or exciting projects now? What impact do you think this will have?

Yes, I have been working on creating a pizza that is gluten-free and doesn’t use traditional ingredients. I have a few pizza ideas that don’t require cheese as an ingredient. I’m very close to launching this project, which has been three years in the making. I think this will be a product that offers something different in a very popular food category.

What advice would you give to other restaurateurs to thrive and avoid burnout?

When deciding to work in the restaurant business, you must understand that it’s a lot of hard work. A fellow restaurateur once told me he married the business first, then his wife. So it will make it much easier if your partner is involved in your endeavor. You must LOVE what you are doing. If you love what you do, it will make the job so much easier. Don’t get discouraged if someone doesn’t like a certain dish you create. People come from different regions of the world, and their palate may not be accustomed to other taste profiles. Your job is to try and recalibrate their palates to fully enjoy the meals you create. It’s not an easy task, but one that can be done with perseverance and hard work.

Thank you for all that. Now we are ready for the main question of the interview. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started as a Restaurateur” and why?

1. I wish I was told that there are no rules in the restaurant industry. You can create any type of dish with any garnishments you’d like. When I first started out, I would copy other local successful restaurants, yet this inhibited me from standing out from the pack.

2. Food cost. I assumed that I had to charge the same price as competitors, even though I was using superior products. You can charge more for higher quality and perceived value. Don’t be scared to charge more for your items. If you are not able to charge consumers and make a profit, then you won’t be in business very long. You have to understand that value can be created with other tactics, such as just plating the meal differently.

3. Use a Point of Sale system. It will help you better manage your business, keeping a close eye on the finances of the restaurant. P.O.S systems are so advanced now that they can inform you of the state of your business. They track food cost, inventory levels, par levels, peak hours, etc. All these systems help you better manage your restaurant, making it more profitable and freeing you up to interact with customers more, improving your overall guest experience.

4. Invest and research your cooking equipment. The type of equipment you use is very important, including the brand(s). If you have financial limitations to purchase equipment, you need to reinvest down the road so that your kitchen is effective and efficient, allowing you to serve the best food in a timely manner to as many guests as possible.

5. The culture you create among your team is very important. This alone can make or break you. It’s all about your people. Try to make every visit an interaction, not a transaction. Get to know your customers on a first name basis. Reward your employees for their great work, simply by telling them they are doing a great job, or inviting them to bring their family to dine in your restaurant. Empower employees, so they feel they are part of the team.

What’s the one dish people have to try if they visit your establishment?

You cannot visit Birrieria Chalio without having a handmade corn tortilla and plate of traditional birria (chivo or beef). We are now offering a combination birria plate that includes both, so you can taste two meat profiles that are very different (they come together with the consomme). We also offer the traditional quesabirria tacos (beef) and quesachivas tacos (goat or lamb).

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

I would love to promote “Scratch Kitchen Cooking” — to create meals as they were once created, using fresh ingredients from vegetables to meats. For example, making tortillas from fresh ground corn can change (and enhance) the entire flavor profile of a taco, as fresh ground corn does not contain all of the chemicals and preservatives that you find in pre-packaged store tortillas. Lastly, it’s very important to understand that “Today is a good day to have a goat day!”

Thank you so much for these insights. This was very inspirational!