Taqueria Amigo Chino (5601 W. Irving Park Road) won a Restaurant Strong Grant from the Greg Hill Foundation and Grubhub Community Fund last week. The business is one of 140 grant recipients across the country.

A beloved Mexican restaurant in Portage Park, Taqueria Amigo Chino has operated for twenty-five years, offering authentic dishes with generous portions at reasonable prices.

The business is well-known for its sign that says in Spanish, "Aqui entran flaquitos y salen gorditos," translated roughly in English, "Here you enter skinny and leave chubby."

Owner Ines Hurtado will use the $5,000 award to replace used machines in the kitchen with new ones. These upgrades will position the business for continued growth including progress towards a goal of creating three to four new jobs for neighborhood residents.

North Branch Works staff was honored to partner with Ines Hurtado and help her submit her application. We informed her of the grant opportunity, conducted meetings in Spanish, and helped her track down the necessary paperwork.

The work that we did in partnership with Ines is a wonderful example of the benefits of becoming a member business of North Branch Works. Our staff can add capacity to your business, identify opportunities like this one, and manage the application process for you.

In 2023, the PepsiCo Foundation selected Taqueria Amigo Chino to participate in its Accelerator Program for Hispanic-owned businesses.

Ines and her team completed a series of trainings, coming into NBW’s office to use our computers to do the virtual trainings.

It’s a good reminder for policymakers that, as much as technology has advanced, some business owners still do not have access to computers and would be left out if opportunities are only offered online.

The program culminated with the restaurant receiving a $10,000 grant.

Taqueria Amigo Chino recently joined North Branch Works as a member business. We’re thrilled to welcome the business to our network and look forward to a close partnership with Ines Hurtado.

We’d like to congratulate Ines and her team on this well-deserved recognition from the Restaurant Strong Grant Program and thank the Greg Hill Foundation and Grubhub Community Fund for selecting Taqueria Amigo Chino.

NBW would also like to recognize the Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection (BACP) whose support through the Neighborhood Business Development Center (NBDC) Program makes wins like this one possible.

Image credit: Taqueria Amigo Chino