Today we’d like to introduce you to Aldo Salazar and Raymond Peña.
Raymond Peña got started in the donut business as teenager in 1978 when he worked for his mother at her local donut shop. During those years, Ray knew he wanted to start his own restaurant one day.
While he was a Houston firefighter, Ray opened his first restaurant in 1996 in southeast Houston. Now retired after 20 years of service, Ray has enjoys having a business and being a part of the local community.
Peña’s Donuts & Diner is an extension to the original Peña’s donut shop. The Diner has an expanded menu filled with family recipes and classic breakfast and lunch favorites.
After being damaged from Hurricane Harvey, Ray partnered with Aldo Salazar to reopen the Diner. Aldo comes from a marketing background and has worked in several restaurants while going to school.
Both believe in the mission of serving delicious, fresh and high-quality food to guests in a fun and friendly atmosphere.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It wasn’t always easy. When we first opened in October 2016, we had great success until August 2017 when Hurricane Harvey hit. All the momentum abruptly stopped while Houston suffered one of its worst natural disasters.
That is when Aldo Salazar came along to help reopen the restaurant in December 2017. But it was still really tough. After we reopened we realized how badly the community was hit. The families in the surrounding area just didn’t have the disposable income to go out and eat while they rebuilt their homes. Also, many of them left and many homes we left empty, so we didn’t have the same population in the area anymore. Sales were way down and many places closed.
After the Summer of 2018 we almost had to close our doors because of the lower sales. We pulled in all of our resources together to keep the doors open and to keep our 20 employees with jobs. Its been a long road but were are now doing a lot better.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Peña’s Donuts & Diner – what should we know?
The backbone of Peña’s will always be donuts & kolaches. We are extremely proud to be recognized by many local and national publications as one of the best donut shops in the Houston area. Our gourmet donuts like the Crount (a donut and croissant hybrid) and Maple Bacon donut sets us apart from other donut shops.
The other side that makes us unique is the full breakfast and lunch menu we offer. Our menu reflects the diverse community we live in. Not only do we have classic breakfast plates, we also have Smoked Brisket tacos, Huevos Rancheros, Keto friendly dishes, and an Ultimate Southern Chicken Biscuit that is topped with a fried egg, bacon, cheese and country gravy.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Ray can elaborate of his support. I know both his mom and dad had a huge influence going into the restaurant business. They laid the foundation and principles down for his success.
My parents always had a strong work ethic. They both moved to the US for a better life as teenagers and worked extremely hard to provide us a great education. They have always supported me in anything I have done.
My wife has also been a great supporter. We always support each other in anything we want to do, no matter how crazy. She’s a 4th-grade school teacher and comes to help on the weekends anytime we are short on staff.
Pricing:
- Glazed Donut .95 cents
- Ultimate Southern Chicken Biscuit 6.95
- Chicken and Waffles 10.95
Contact Info:
- Address: 10555 Pearland Pkwy. STE A1
Houston, TX 77089 - Website: https://www.penasdonutsanddiner.com
- Phone: 832-831-9630
- Email: info@penasdonutsanddiner.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/penas_donuts_diner/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Penasdonutsanddiner/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/DonutsAndDiner
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/peñas-donuts-and-diner-houston
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