Meet Gonzalo Quintero, Ed.D. | Doctor of Education & Restauranteur
We had the good fortune of connecting with Gonzalo Quintero, Ed.D. and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Gonzalo, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I was a career educator and administrator at the collegiate level in San Diego. Perpendicular to this I started a marketing company with a focus on hospitality. At the peak of the craft beer boom I was working with some of the best brewery, bars and restaurants in San Diego. After a success stint of event production and menu development at my family’s restaurant (La Bella Pizza Garden est.1955) I was given an opportunity to lead the well established business as The General Manager. Though a great opportunity, I knew there were a lot of gaps in my hospitality education based on the success and heritage of the brand. I soon pursued employment at some of the most popular and successful bars and breweries. In all honesty, I pursued positions within these organizations to learn what I didn’t know. I looked at it as furthering my education. In actuality I realized that every business has its strengths and weaknesses and niche. What if you could take the best practices and apply them to a niche that was missing. I knew from working in North Park, and Downtown and in Barrio Logan that a lot of the clientele was from The South Bay and that the community was in need of something better.
What should our readers know about your business?
Me and my business partners have formal educations and careers previous to joining the hospitality industry. I know for a fact that we take data driven decision making to a level not often seen in an independent restaurant. The challenges of opening a business in 2019, navigating the whirlwind of social change in 2020, and facing the resulting economy since could not be faced ina reactionary manner. Forecasting, review of historical data, price analysis, automated inventory management are all skills necessary for small businesses to master in order to stay profitable and competitive.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Me and my partners started our Tavern because there wasn’t one place that had everything we wanted. As a family man I wanted a bar and grill that had top shelf beer and liquor, but was approachable enough to take my young daughters, while having a menu to accommodate the tastes of my highly educated wife. I realized there were a lot of people like me, like us. Third Ave: is our home and the home of so many other places that I like to spend my time and money. The best Mexican food is at Los Cuates. The best beer list is at Bar Sun Nombre. The Best Cocktails are at La Nacional. The Best Pizza is at La Bella Pizza Garden. The best coffee is at Mujer Divina. We are home to two independent craft breweries (3Punks and Chula Vista Brewery) and my favorite bakery “Mmm Cakes.” There is literally something for everyone on Third Ave. and you can take a whole week visiting it all.
Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The Original #SouthBayUprising movement and the businesses who really were about that life: Machete, The Manhattan, 3Punk Ales, Bar Sin Nombre, The Weenie Queen, Chula Vista Brewery, Third Ave. Ale House, La Bella Pizza Garden and Grind House Chula Vista/Logan.
Image Credits
Head shot from Chula Vista Photo
Nominate Someone: ShoutoutSoCal is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
