The Nosh Pit: Fire tests Cielito Lindo owner’s resolve
By Chris Macias, The Sacramento Bee | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
But on a recent morning, a chain-link fence wrapped around the edge of his east
The wreckage resulted from a two-alarm fire in the early morning hours of
"Why is this happening to me?" Alarcon said he thought to himself as firefighters doused the blaze. "What am I going to do now?"
Alarcon knows that keeping a restaurant open is already tough enough, especially in 2014 when profit margins are getting squeezed by spiking prices for limes, beef, bacon and other kitchen essentials. Research from
A chef who trained at
He believes the fire was set intentionally.
"I feel sad because I don't know why someone would do this," Alarcon said through an interpreter. "Why do people act like that? But I'm staying strong to get through everything."
This restaurant has seen a string of fast food and hard times. Longtime east
But Alarcon never wanted Cielito Lindo to be the typical taqueria with brick-sized burritos and gooey nachos. This would be Mexican gastronomy, not south-of-the-border gut busters.
Alarcon had longed to run a restaurant since growing up in
But as confident as he was with the cuisine, he felt plenty of jitters familiar to restaurateurs opening a new spot.
"I was scared because for the first two weeks, nobody came to the restaurant," said Alarcon. "But after a while, it got really busy. People were happy about the food and the numbers were up, up up."
Now, the supply room and his office remain an ashy mess, and wires hang from the ceiling. On the upside, the dining room and kitchen area suffered little damage, though plenty of cleanup is still needed. Spend just a few minutes walking through the restaurant and you'll smell like the inside of a Weber grill.
Initial estimates from his insurance company pencil out damages of approximately
"For many of the workers, this was the only job they had," said Alarcon. "They're having trouble."
Depending on the final damage report, Alarcon said he may end up moving Cielito Lindo to another central city location. He prefers to keep serving food in east Sac, where the neighbors have shared plenty of encouragement during these uncertain times.
Either way, Alarcon knows he'll be cooking up his Mexican specialties soon enough.
"I don't want to move from here because I started here and the people know me," he said. "I'm going to open again for sure."
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