El Patron Restaurant – Margarita Cortez
Margarita Cortez owns and operates El Patron in Altadena, an authentic Mexican restaurant. Margarita received a grant award from the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce Small Business Disaster Recovery Fund in 2025. The Program is designed to assist in the recovery of small businesses affected by the 2025 Eaton and Palisades wildfires.
How did the wildfires impact your business?
It’s actually very difficult to talk about. It was and still is very tough and emotional. My business was closed for about three months. For a while after I reopened, business went well, but I can still see how difficult it is for my customers to get to me. About 75% to 80% of them lost their homes in the fires, my business is down to about 30%. It’s like a ghost town now. Much of my family moved out of state – to Texas, New Mexico, or Hawaii.
When I get to see my customers, who I refer to as my family, they always give me a big hug, and those hugs mean a lot. It’s like they’re telling me to continue. I tend to ask them how I can help them because I know we are all going through a difficult situation. And I tell them that my family is what gives me the power to continue fighting.
I try to give them the same power – to continue fighting. I try to give them hope and faith. It’s difficult to see that my community is not there anymore, but I know that we will rebuild.
It is going to take years, not months, for our community to recover. I’ll still be here for my customers when they come back. I’m going to continue to work hard, not only for myself, but for my customers who are my family.
How will the Small Business Disaster Recovery grant assist in the recovery of your business?
Right now, money is tight. I don’t have any extra income. So, this grant came at the perfect time. The $10,000 allowed me to pay my bills and employees. I feel like this was another big sign that I need to continue fighting.
What other support do you need?
We’re going through trauma; we’re trying to survive. That is why I am planning to have a karaoke night at my restaurant. I need to do something for my community and myself for our mental health. So even if it is just for one night, we can karaoke, dance, and laugh with each other. Karaoke night will bring joy. For 3-4 hours, we get to forget everything we are going through.
What has changed for your business between the fires in January and today?
I reopened my business on March 17 – three months after the fires. I was so excited. Prior to that, so many of my customers kept asking me if I would open again. Even though my business has reopened, I only have 30-40% of my customers back.
Sometimes people suggest I close early if business isn’t coming. I can’t close early because I have 14 employees that work for me. If I close early, they don’t work. I can’t lay off my employees either. They all need money. They are trying their best to survive too.
I am not the same person after the fires. I think no one in our community is the same. Everything has changed for us.
Do you have a message for other potential funders of the program?
Thank you to the donors who made this grant possible. They are my angels that take care of me and my community. Thank you so much. I hope I can meet them one day and tell them, “Maggie’s never going to give up. Maggie’s going to continue fighting.”
