Check Out Adriana Garcia’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Adriana Garcia.

Hi Adriana, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, let’s briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
Frybread Fanatics LLC started in 2019 when I was laid off from the mortgage business during the holidays and after a bad car accident. I was trying to figure out what I should do because I spent 25 years in the financial & mortgage industry and was just tired of the stress and layoffs in that field. My daughter was dealing with ADHD and struggling; my mom was ill, and I also needed treatment from my recent car accident. I started to pray and look for guidance on how to make a living and still care for my family. It took about a week, and I felt like the answers started to become clear that I needed to have my own business. If I wanted the freedom to seek treatment for any of us, that’s what it would take. I then started to think about what kind of business I would be passionate about and why. Being from a Native American & Mexican nationality, I wondered what would happen if I fused the two. I decided to go ahead with it and take the chance. I started on tables and chairs, ice chests, and a propane saucer disc in which I would fry my bread. We set up on the corner of 35th Ave & Dobbins and immediately started getting slammed. I then realized this might work. I started saving money and finally had enough to buy a food cart. I also needed a work truck to haul the cart, which was also in the works.

Now, we are going around the valley selling and becoming known in Laveen and doing events in nearby cities. We started being asked to attend Native American cultural events such as Cahokia, where talented artists and speakers invited us to open on occasion. A few years later, I decided to spend my savings again on the food bus we operate out of now. It’s been a difficult journey. We work out in this AZ heat and the cold weather. About a year into the business, I started a mentorship program for teens with disabilities such as ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Social Disorders, Depression, and cutting. This was important to me because I wanted to give people opportunities just like I wanted my daughter to have opportunities to build confidence and learn new things. I’m very proud of my mentorship program because I see the changes and benefits these teens are getting by giving them a chance to be who they are without the criticism and not having to worry about being fired for being different. My hardest and most reliable employees come from this program. My business had developed into a family-owned business run with the huge help of my 73-year-old mom and now my 17-year-old daughter, who started working when she was 12.

I could only operate with them and my staff. My faith has completely sustained us through many difficult times as a small business owner. I live and work mostly out of Laveen, and the people have been extremely kind and supportive of us. There is a popular farm out here called Amadio Heritage Ranch owned by Eric Amadio and his wife Christina, and they have blessed us with a spot every Wednesday evening to set up. Also, Laveen Baptist Church has provided us with a lot we utilize to vend from. Our truck recently had a huge mechanical expense, and our community pulled together almost 5k in less than 12 hours to repair our bus so we could stay in business. I’m so grateful for all the opportunities and kind gestures from so many great customers and now friends that have allowed us to continue contributing to our community and serving our delicious, sweet, savory options. If you get a chance, look at our website, www.frybreadfanatics.com.

The menu is highly creative and delicious. You can order fry bread nachos or a Sonoran-style hot dog on fry bread, a strawberry cheesecake, guava cream cheese, or banana cream pie. There is something for everyone, including our classic Navajo taco or powdered sugar honey. Thank you for the opportunity to talk about my business, and I also want to thank my Local First Entrepreneur Community, which I’m honored to be a part of and a graduate of. They helped me set goals and have a business plan and vision to keep my business thriving. I want to thank God and my two beautiful daughters for standing alongside me through the stresses of being a business owner, especially my Mom and dad, for teaching my siblings and me to work hard, have a strong work ethic, and care about others. They demonstrated selflessness and sacrifice when they raised us; I am sincerely grateful for that. Please check us out on Instagram or FB, or better yet, come and try our food! We would love to serve you!

Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Our original struggle was the fusion because it differed from what most people expected. The subsequent big struggle was finding a spot where we would be welcomed and supported. When COVID hit, I thought that would be it for us, but I started a delivery service, and before we knew it, we couldn’t even keep up with the demand. Having the truck break down recently has been rough. I hope and pray we pull through this one. We will not have a lot of support, and I have faith that we will be out vending and attending events very soon.

I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
We currently attend pop-ups with our mobile food bus, and we also provide catering to businesses and school functions, baby showers and weddings, etc. I’m most proud of my team because we all unite and strive to accomplish one common goal: to provide great food and customer service to the valley! We are unique in many ways, from not being a traditional trailer and operating out of a big Turquoise bus with a scripture on our wrap to our unique menu. We are known for being the home of the “Enchilada Style Fry Bread,” both New Mexico Hatch Red & Green Chile!” We have the largest fry bread menu around the valley. It’s challenging because it means our team has it rough to adapt to all these orders, but they do it with a smile. I teach our staff that we can do this job with the customers. Our customers keep the business going.

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
I learned during COVID to be grateful that our customers trust us and are choosing to buy dinner or lunch from us because they can pick anyone, and they chose us. We made sure to tell our customers thank you each time they ordered because it meant so much. We also learned to market the business to stand out from other places because it was challenging operating during COVID lots of risks to our customers and ourselves. We had lots of sanitation procedures we followed to keep everyone safe.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.frybreadfanatics.com
• Instagram: @frybread_fanatics
• Facebook: @frybreadfanatics

Image Credits
Images of food credits go to Kendal Wright @kennnndallll