MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, Mich. — A small takeout business serving delicious meals to Muskegon Heights since the late 70s is getting a boost thanks to a popular delivery app.
Marisela Sierra, who now owns and operates her family's restaurant Navarro's Mexican Takeout with her husband on 8th Street, is thankful for a $10,000 grant from DoorDash.
It's part of the company's Restaurant Disaster Relief Fund which aims to give small businesses a leg up in the wake of financial strain.
When severe storms in late June knocked out power for days impacting thousands in Muskegon County, Sierra's third-generation family business felt the squeeze, too.
"We eventually had to throw away a lot of product, and the storms resulted in us losing one of our key pieces of equipment, which was a freezer. So for a small business, any loss can be a big loss. So even for us, who are a small but mighty kitchen, losing just a couple of days worth of inventory is a big loss," Sierra said.
Some of that inventory included their stone-ground tamales, which are batch-made.
"So for us, having put in all that time and effort, and then just to lose so many tamales, even losing one tamale is devastating. But having lost a week's worth of work and then just to have to get caught up again, was difficult for us."
Founded in 1978 by Sierra's grandparents, the restaurant offers Tex-Mex and authentic flavors like tacos asada.
Sierra plans to invest the $10,000 towards an outdoor walk-in cooler.
"Way back in the day when my grandparents took over, it was also a grocery store, and I think it fit well for a grocery store, but as it evolved to a takeout restaurant, it served us well, but we continue to grow, and we continue to foster the gift that my grandparents made for our family. So we just need a little bit more space to be able to continue doing that," Sierra said.
To be eligible for a Restaurant Disaster Relief Grant from DoorDash, applicants have to be a brick-and-mortar location with no more than three locations and 50 or fewer employees per location. You can learn more about the application process here.
