Today we’d like to introduce you to Simon Gonzales.
Hi Simon, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
When I was 8 years old, I was put into the CPS. My great-aunt took me and my brothers in. We lived with her for 4 years. She had such a passion for cooking. My best childhood memories were smelling and eating her delicious food. I would see the love and time she put into cooking. So, she pretty much set the tone on my expectations of food. Always had to have flavor. I think this is where I got my passion for food.
All through my life, I loved to cook at home when I had the chance to. In 2021, my bounce house businesses slowed tremendously. To the point where I took a job as a school bus driver. During that time, I met a person who has now became a dear friend. She found out I always wanted to pursue cooking as it was my passion. She offered to help with me starting my business. This person believed in me so much that she invested in me and my dream with asking very little in return.
My concept that I wanted to go for was teriyaki. Because I grew up in Los Angeles there was so much teriyaki and not much here in Houston. I watched Shark Tank religiously. I always remembered the sharks saying, “Find what’s missing, find a niche, and fill that void”. So that was my mindset with teriyaki here in Houston and then throwing hibachi into it.
I opened my doors December 15th, 2022. Up until March 7th, 2023, I was struggling very badly. $100-$200 days if I was lucky. At that moment I questioned myself if I had made the right decision. Telling myself how could I even think I can be successful with this. March 6th, 2023, was the worst day. After being in the truck all day. I made $73 in sales. I went home in tears. Depressed. Feeling defeated. I prayed that night. Ask God to please help me. Please, I beg to, don’t let me fail. The very next day, a woman came to buy food. She then came up to the truck and said she had a following of over 100k and that my food was delicious. Little did I know she was the local celebrity Police Happenings! She posted me, and not even 10 minutes later, I had customers. Without her, I would be here now to tell my story. I am forever in debt to her.
Since then, I have gained more and more customers. I believe it’s because we cook with love, we treat customers like family. I now have my mother full-time along with my 2 boys part-time and now looking to hire more staff as we are growing more and more by the day.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The most difficult has been the mental challenges in my own head. When there wasn’t any business, it’s “Am I good enough?” “Is my food good enough?” “Did I not put enough effort into this?“You really start getting into your own head.
Another is good costs. Everything goes up and down. Sometimes eggs can cost double what you are paying. With the rise of food cost, it’s hard keeping prices down. With that, this is why it’s important to have good portions, good quality food, and provide the best customer experience possible. That’s what will make your customers feel good about giving you their hard-earned money.
What makes you happy?
What makes me happy are my customers. My goal, my wish, my passion is no matter if I have 1 or 100,000 customers, is to meet and greet every one of them, show them a smile on my face, and tell them how much I appreciate their support. My customers are my family. They make me happy, and I love that my food can give them a smile on their face.
What also makes me happy is being able to show my customers and my children that if you are a good person with a good heart, opportunities will come, and when they come, you capitalize on it and scared or not, you go for it!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Shinobi teriyaki
- Facebook: Shinobi teriyaki
Image Credits
Charlie Giesler
