"I Was Bleeding Money and Didn't Even Know It"
How a San Jose taqueria owner found $1,300 hiding in her kitchen
Maria thought she had her costs locked down. She'd been running a taqueria in San Jose for six years, had spreadsheets tracking every supplier price, and could tell you off the top of her head that chicken was $2.89 a pound.
Then someone asked her a simple question that changed everything.
The Question That Started It All
"What does your chicken burrito actually cost to make?"
Maria was on the phone with us in September, surrounded by her usual stack of invoices. She paused. "Well, chicken's $2.89... plus cheese... and beans..." She trailed off.
"I realized I knew what I paid for ingredients, but I had no clue what my actual dishes cost. Like, what José puts in a burrito when we're slammed at lunch versus what my recipe card says."
What We Found When We Actually Looked
We spent a morning at the taqueria with Maria, weighing portions and timing José, her longtime cook who customers absolutely love.
The chicken burrito recipe called for 4 ounces of chicken. José's version? 5.3 ounces. Every single time.
"José's been here eight years. He makes them with love. But damn."
By lunch rush, we'd found the pattern:
- •Chicken portions were running 33% over recipe
- •"Two handfuls" of cheese was actually 2.5 ounces, not the 2 ounces she'd budgeted for
- •They were buying premium avocados when regular ones were half the price and just as good
The Numbers That Made Her Sick
Chicken Burrito (her bestseller):
But the guacamole was worse:
"We sell 126 orders of guac a week. So I'm losing... what, like $260 every week? On our signature item?"
Six Weeks of Small Changes
Maria didn't panic or jack up prices. She just started paying attention.
First, she tackled portions. Bought a scale for the line, retrained everyone on exact amounts. José grumbled for about two days, then admitted the burritos were still delicious at 4 ounces.
Then she started shopping around. Found out Del Monte had avocados for 15% less than her current guy. Restaurant Depot beat Sysco on cheese by 12%. "I just never bothered to compare before."
Finally, she got creative with the menu. Made guacamole "market price" so she could adjust when avocado prices went crazy. Created a combo that pushed her carnitas tacos—way better margins.
The Morning Everything Changed Again
A month later, Maria got a rude awakening. Chicken prices jumped overnight from $2.89 to $3.34 per pound.
"My Tuesday delivery cost $280 more than I expected. Just like that—boom. My whole week's profit, gone. And I didn't even know until the truck showed up."
That's when she decided she needed real-time tracking. Now she gets alerts on her phone when prices spike. Last month when avocados went nuts, she knew Tuesday morning instead of finding out Friday at delivery.
"I switched my daily special to carnitas that week and actually made money while other places were getting hammered."
What She Tells Other Owners Now
"You think you know your costs, but you're probably wrong. I knew bacon was $4.50 a pound, but I had no idea my BLT was costing me $6.20 to make because my cook was loading it up."
"And even if you nail down your portions, do you know what everything costs today? That invoice from three weeks ago is already old news. Prices change constantly, and if you're not watching, you're bleeding money."
"I finally feel like I'm running a business instead of just hoping for the best."