Rodrigo Albarran (above) is living his own version of the American dream, a feat he can attribute to his passion and hard work, and also to the quirky convenience-store location that has put his restaurant on the map.
He was born in Mexico City and moved to Maryland with his parents when he was 11 years old. At 16, he started working with his father, Duillermo, at a local restaurant, making salads and dressings from scratch.
“They gave me a book about cakes, and I started experimenting with those for our Sunday brunch,” Albarran says. “Now I can’t believe that was my responsibility at that age, but the cakes were pretty good.”
When Duillermo became a kitchen manager at T.G.I. Friday’s, he took his son along. “His English wasn’t great, so he’d bring me to work as a translator and assistant,” Albarran says.
After he graduated from high school, he continued to learn to cook as he put himself through flight school. He graduated from Shenandoah Valley Aviation and became a flight instructor. While he taught, he teamed up with his father to open a restaurant cleaning company. After a few years, Albarran landed his first job as a pilot, flying cargo up and down the East Coast while his father continued the cleaning business. One of Duillermo’s clients, a convenience-store owner, was looking for someone to rent out the restaurant space adjacent to his store. When the struggling economy led to furloughs, Albarran decided to shift gears and take advantage of the opportunity to follow his culinary dreams.
Initial Response
“When this opportunity came,” Albarran says, “we thought, ‘We know we’re in a gas station, but if we make good food, people will come.’ ” And come they did, but not before hard work—and waiting.
He named the restaurant R&R Taqueria after his two sons, Rodrigo and Roque. Albarran and his wife, Hilda, also have two daughters, born since the restaurant opened, whose names also start with “R.”
The 800-square-foot restaurant space they rented in Elkridge, Md., was divided from the adjacent Shell Station by a transparent plastic wall. There are separate entrances and no shared walkway, but people still tend to associate the gas station with the restaurant. The two businesses are located on the corner of a highly trafficked intersection of Route 175. The surrounding neighborhood is rapidly expanding with new houses, apartments and townhomes.
The restaurant space has an open kitchen concept with two narrow bars, eight total stools and just enough hallway space for people to wait in line to place their orders. Because of the tight space, patrons can place their orders online or over the phone for pickup or delivery. Albarran is also in the process of developing an R&R app, through which customers can place orders.
And what are they ordering, you ask? Authentic Mexican food, as authentic as it comes. For inspiration, Albarran drew on the lunch outings his family takes Sundays after church.
“The Albarrans are a family of food critics,” he says. He was also inspired by memories of Mexico. “One of the things we’ve noticed is that there are a lot of food stands in Mexico with all types of people there. Rich, poor, upper class, working class—it doesn’t matter,” Albarran says. “They all stand in line together and eat.”
It was difficult to not second-guess his menu choices in the beginning. He watched neighboring restaurants attract customers with deli sandwiches and fried chicken. His landlord also pressured him to make his menu more mainstream.
“I pray a lot for guidance,” he says “and after praying about it for a while, I felt peace. I stopped looking out my windows and devoted my focus to perfecting what I was doing. Soon enough, the lines of people came.”
Media Blitz
One day, a customer handed Albarran a copy of The Wall Street Journal. R&R was in it, listed as one of the best places to eat in a gas station. Albarran had no idea it was being published. Soon press begat press and hype begat hype. “Food bloggers started coming to my place and trying everything on the menu,” Albarran says.
After about a year, he got a call from the producer of Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” Albarran asked the producer, “You sure you’re calling the right place? You know we’re in a gas station, right?” Three weeks later, the network was shooting footage at the restaurant. After the episode featuring R&R Taqueria aired, more publications came knocking at Albarran’s door: Food & Wine, USA Today and even Men’s Health.
“People love that we have construction workers and Harvard grads, people from every walk of life, eating our food,” Albarran says.
Looking Ahead
In April 2013, Albarran opened a second R&R location. He signed a temporary lease in a nearby mall food court and eventually moved to a larger, permanent location about a mile from the mall, 30 miles from the original R&R. Albarran has plans to franchise R&R; meanwhile, he’s already been using his success to do consulting work for other restaurants. “My experience as a fl ight educator gives me a unique approach to hiring and training employees,” he says. “I have good advice to offer.”
To convenience-store owners looking to get into foodservice, Albarran’s biggest advice is to not let fear get in the way. “You have to take risks,” he says. “But you’ve also got to make sure you know what you’re doing. Get help from people who have been there before.”
Albarran is grateful for the attention his connection to the gas station brought him. “The location made us interesting,” he says, “but the food made us impressive.”
Today’s Specials
R&R Taqueria serves authentic Mexican cuisine for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Here are Chef Rodrigo’s thoughts on some of the most notable menu items.
Lamb Tacos: “The meat is prepared just like it is in Mexico. When I bite it, it instantly takes me back to when I was a kid.”
Carnitas Tacos: “Pork shoulder is cooked slowly in a big pot with almost all of the pig. It gives it great flavor.”
Scrambled Eggs with Mexican Sausage: “Mexican sausage is spicy and delicious. It has a very different taste than regular patty sausage.”
Tres Leches Cake: “It’s housemade fresh. Sweet and classic.”
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