A classic concept means competition, and this one stands out in the crowd.
For so many consumers, a juicy steak is still the ultimate entrée. Whether a restaurant is focused on beef or simply trying to bring a few compelling beef choices to the table, they’re vying for business with plenty of other venues. Saul Muniz, director of operations for Corralito Steak House in El Paso, Texas, is determined to offer guests “the best and most delicious experience that they can get.”
How does any restaurant meet that ambitious goal? Founded in 2004 in Mexico by a trio of co-owners, Corralito opened its first Steak house in the U.S. in 2011, with Muniz leading the team. A second location soon followed, also in El Paso. The secret to providing a great experience and spurring growth could be as simple as providing carefully chosen options. Let’s learn more about how Corralito Steak House aims to be the preferred steak house, starting with the all-important C.O. P.
Shamrock Foods Gold Canyon Meat Co. provides different cut options and even specialists to make menuing and costing easier for you. Why is that so important?
SM: Gold Canyon Meat Co. is a really good quality brand, and combining that with our seasoning products makes the perfect match. What we’re doing is getting the best quality of steak, and Shamrock Foods is doing a great job helping with this. Commodity forecasting allows us to determine what to buy now based on what to expect in the future, which is good business.
Seasonal ideas based on market trends are also useful to you?
SM: With [Sales Representative] Francisco Heras’s contribution it is very easy; he finds the items that we ask for and also provides suggestions of products that we can use at the time. Francisco is a great person – very professional and helpful. It is good for us to have a person like him because it makes dealing with our operations a lot easier. He answers any questions and helps get rid of any doubt any time it arises.
We are extremely happy with him.
Healthy options are called out on your menu; and one of those is a best-seller.
SM: We have many nutritious items on our menu so the guests may balance their meals. Our two most popular lunch items are Healthy Choice Salmon or Sirloin.
Corralito also offers a whole lot of accompaniments, from corn on the cob to garlic mushrooms and bone marrow.
SM: We have what we call basic sides and then specialty sides, like rajas with cheese. That way customers can choose what they really like and enjoy their steak with their favorite side.
Any special challenges with your second location?
SM: The only challenge we see in our second location is that there are too many restaurants around the neighborhood. But once our guests get to know our product, quality and service, they understand we’re a great place to relax and have a delicious lunch or dinner.
You’re covering a lot of ground in social media. How?
SM: We have marketing experts helping us keep up to date, posting every day, every week, every month to stay on our followers’ minds. We have quality pictures online so we
can grab the attention of many potential guests. Those guests then provide feedback to improve our marketing every day!
And you’re attracting group business?
SM: We actually take events up to 70 guests. We have a planning process for every event. First, we sit with the host to discuss what they’d like to do. As soon as we understand the goal, we recommend a few different options with the meals, dates and hours so they will have ample space to decide and take the best option.
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