Let’s be frank – Burlington is no stranger to Tex-Mex fare. With 15 Mexican-inspired eateries across the city, the popularity of the cuisine is clear.
Kalpesh and Jagruti are the latest entrepreneurs to bring the fresh, zesty flavours to life. They come from a somewhat corporate background, with Jagruti working as a process coordinator for Estee Lauder and her husband, Kalpesh, working in finance for TD. Although Kalpesh has been in banking for nine years, his true love is customer service. « My first job was at Petro. If the gas station was giving me good money, I wouldn’t work in a bank, » he laughs. « I love to meet people. »
Once they saved up enough money to start their own business, the Tex-Mex industry was an obvious choice for them. Not only is the genre healthier, but when they took surveys from the community, young people leaned heavily towards Mexican dishes. « It’s food for the next generation », Kalpesh explains. « We tried other burrito chains and we liked the BarBurrito taste, but we made up our mind after we figured out that competitors use frozen, ready-made foods while BarBurrito makes it fresh in-house. » They found the president’s number online and sealed the deal.
One of the last steps was to choose a location. Along with their daughter, they scouted spaces all over the GTA, but they couldn’t find one that all of them agreed on – until Burlington. « When we came here, all three of us knew it was the one, » remembers Jagruti. Ultimately, they hope to open up two more stores (one for each member of the family)!
Jagruti and Kalpesh both prefer the quesadillas at BarBurrito, but Jagruti’s favourite dish is dal (Indian lentil soup) with rice and vegetables, while Kalpesh loves dosa (a rice and lentil crepe). Indoors, you can find them watching TV or reading spiritual books. When it’s good weather, Kalpesh loves to play badminton.
Say hi to them at 3450 Dundas St, beside Orangetheory Fitness and across from Tim Horton’s.