Interview with Eleen Ryan, owner and operator
How did you get involved in this business?
I love to cook and feed my friends and family. About five years ago, I was working in a real estate office and would bring breakfast and lunch burritos in for my co-workers. They suggested I sell them and started asking me for large orders for the sales meetings. My daughter started asking me for orders for her office as well. I realized that if I didn’t try, I’d never know if I could make it. That is when I decided to turn it into a business.
What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
I make my burritos fresh every day. They are delivered hot and ready to eat always, unless requested cold. I often specialize in orders for corporate and retail workers to have a ready-to-eat, fulfilling lunch as well as all kinds of different events.
I am a one-woman show with occasional help from friends and family. I stand by my products; I believe in outstanding customer service and am elated to provide a friendly delivery service to ensure I make your tummy happy. I have even paired up with a local brewery where I offer my burritos. You can find me there with a special batch of chili made with one of the staple beers made from the brewers
What do you like best about your line of work?
I love what I do and I love being able to do it. I am passionate about cooking and making the best product I can. I love the feedback that I get from my customers; many of them are self-proclaimed “Ele’s burrito addicts.” It drives me to do better every day and to come up with fun new types of “limited time” burritos, like my sausage-and-gravy option that has country gravy, breakfast sausage, potatoes eggs and cheese. That is very popular right now.
What is your business’ biggest challenge?
Keeping up with my fast-growing business. Doing this on my own is definitely keeping me on my toes. I am hoping to turn this into a family business and maybe even get a food truck. Otherwise, I love what I do so much that it doesn’t feel like work, just feels like I’m feeding family and friends that I love.
Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
No one in my family has ever been in the food service or restaurant business. My father owned a well-known electronics warehouse in Denver all through the 1950s until recently. My mother was a great cook and that is how I got into cooking.
Business: To Your Door Burritos by Ele
Address: Aurora
Hours: 6 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday
Founded: 2011
Contact: 720-297-0598
Employees: 1
To suggest a business for us to profile, e-mail dajohnson@denverpost.com.
