With eyes to the future, Rosa Maria’s remembers what got them here
2 min read
Rosa Maria’s opened its first restaurant on Sierra Way in San Bernardiono in 1975. Pictured is the second in Highland. Owners keep their history, customers and employees at the forefront of their operating model.
Rosa Maria’s Mexican Food has been serving the Inland Empire for over 40 years. Rosa Maria’s story is as fresh and delightful as their food.
“My grandmother would send my uncle and grandfather burritos for their lunch. Their co-workers would always want some of the burritos – they even started to buy them off my grandmother. Many of the co-workers encouraged my grandparents to open up a restaurant. My grandparents thought about it, then decided to open up their first restaurant Rosa Maria’s on Sierra Way in San Bernardino,” shared Mary Seager, granddaughter, Social Media Representative, and Human Resources.
Since opening their first restaurant in 1975, Rosa Maria’s has stayed true to themselves and their customers. Many of the items on the menu today were there since they opened. There are some exceptions though, they have added sour cream, chicken, breakfast burritos, and menudo to name a few.
“We’ve been able to grow organically. The changes that we’ve made, have been because of our customers’ requests,” explained Seager.
Rosa Maria’s has a loyal customer base, and in return, they have been loyal to them. Hearing what customers would like to see on the menu, then delivering on those requests.
“We want to make sure our customers leave satisfied. We’ve had customers ask for special items, such as taquitos rolled up in a bean and cheese burrito. We adhere to our customers as much as we can, with that customer we made her meal just as she asked with no questions,” expressed Seager
Rosa Maria’s customers love them so much they try and help the restaurant expand beyond their four locations.
“We’ve looked at spaces, from the high desert to the beach cities. A lot of places we’ve looked at are because of our customers. Customers call us about open space, we’ll then go check it out,” shared Seager.
Rosa Maria’s relationship with their customers is strong, so is their relationship with their employees. This showed more than ever when they gave them a week off last year so they can mentally and emotionally regroup.
“The week off was given to our employees because they not only needed it but deserved it. We love our employees; we look at them as family. For instance, one of our general managers I call my aunt because I’ve known her my whole life. A lot of our employees have been with us for years, we appreciate and love them all,” expressed Seager.
Rosa Maria’s story and growth are organic and honest. As they continue to grow, with an eye towards the future they won’t forget what got them here: Family, employees, customers, and their burritos.
