What began as a Mexican deli, restaurant and bakery 22 years ago is now a $40
million enterprise, with wholesale bakery operations accounting for more than a
quarter of sales. Artimex Mexican Bakerys recent acquisition of a popular
muffin brand provides expansion opportunities regionally and nationally.
When Charles Bonaparte started El Gallo Giro in Los Angeles, CA, in 1987, his
goal was to fill a niche that was missing from the highly concentrated Hispanic
areas within L.A. “What was missing was authentic, top-quality Mexican offerings
where people could get lunch, purchase food items to prepare at home or buy any
number of freshly baked sweet goods, breads and rolls,” he said. “We set up
quick service restaurants (QSR) with a wide variety of Mexican foods, and each
restaurant had its own in-store bakery.”
Success, with a high proportion of bakery sales, meant expansion, and the
in-store bakeries needed more space. “When we expanded our first store to
include a larger bakery, sales nearly doubled,” Mr. Bonaparte said. “From then
on, the bakery was to be a major component of future stores.”
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