Wednesday, September 20, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
9
Rancho Viejo marks 10th anniversary
By Jim Williams
Correspondent
Workin in the fields till you
get your back burned, workin
’neath the wheels till you get
your facts learned, baby I got
my facts learned real good
right now.
The lyrics to “Badlands,”
written over 30 years ago
by Bruce Springsteen, apply
just as easily now as they did
then: Just ask Javier Luna.
Now in the midst of cele-
brating Ranch Viejo Mexican
Restaurant’s 10th anniver-
sary, Luna is a testament to
hard work and perseverance.
“This is without a doubt
one of the biggest accom-
plishments of my life,” said
Luna. “Other than going to
college. I was actually born in
the United States, but because
my parents were migrant
workers, I spent a lot of time
growing up in Mexico.”
After having spent the bet-
ter part of 11 years in Mexico,
the family eventually landed
in the San Francisco Bay
Area where Luna went to
school. While very much
enjoying the area, he could
see things changing and the
competitive disadvantages of
staying in the area.
Eventually, Luna’s parents
settled in the Redmond area;
after completing college,
Luna was offered an oppor-
tunity to join his family here.
“We left the Bay Area
because of the power and the
expense I saw all over, and I
just didn’t see a future there,”
Luna explained. “Moving
here I felt right at home
because we are from a small
town in the Jalisco province
in Mexico, and now this is a
small town that me and my
family have adapted to and
really love.”
Even though Luna waited
tables and worked in the
restaurant business while in
school, it was not his inten-
tion of owning or managing
a restaurant until his father
approached him with the
idea.
“My parents actually
made a pitch while I was
still going to school that if I
moved up here they would
help me buy a house, which
was out of the question in the
Bay Area,” said Luna. “On
top of that, he said he’d help
me buy a restaurant business.
Now, I just didn’t see myself
running a restaurant business
having just completed school.
I was familiar with the busi-
ness, having waited tables,
and was familiar with man-
aging a bit, but I really didn’t
see having my own company
at the time.”
After giving it some
thought, a newly married
Luna left the Bay Area for the
challenges of Central Oregon.
Initially, Luna looked for
work in accounting and pay-
roll, but soon discovered a
couple of things about the
area.
“When I got up here, I
realized how hard it was
going to be to get into my
chosen field, and how low the
wages were compared to the
Bay Area,” said Luna.
Luna met a restaurant
owner who offered him a job
in Redmond, which helped
kick-start his career. Starting
as a server, Luna eventually
learned every aspect of the
restaurant business, includ-
ing managing. After a stint
as the manager at El Rancho
Grande in Redmond, Luna
was offered the job as man-
ager at the Sisters location.
“Things were starting
to go downhill for them in
Redmond, so they offered
me the restaurant here, and
closed the Redmond loca-
tion,” Luna said. “That is
when my father and one of
my sisters came on board
as partners in the Sisters
location.”
Of course by 2007 the
nation-wide economy started
to wobble, and eventually
Central Oregon and the rest
of the country were hit with
one of the longest, deepest
recessions in history.
“We knew it was going to
be hard. I mean there were
other, already established
restaurants in town and we
were all having issues, but
we just kept trying to get the
local community behind us
until people started to support
us and really liked what we
were doing,” Luna said. “But
it was extremely difficult.”
By 2010, the economy
started to turn the corner, as
did the success of the restau-
rant. After several years of
hard times, by 2011, business
PHOTO BY JIM WILLIAMS
Javier and Loraina Luna have persevered to the 10-year mark with their
Mexican restaurant in Sisters.
was good enough that Luna
could buy out his partners,
and he and his wife, Loraina,
found themselves as sole
owners of the restaurant, now
called Rancho Viejo.
After having bought out
the previous owners and his
partners, it was important to
Luna to put his own stamp
on the identity of the new
restaurant.
“Even though the name
was part of the purchase, ini-
tially, it was very important
to get our identity out there,”
explained Luna. “We started
doing our own menus, writ-
ing new recipes, and just add-
ing our own touches wher-
ever we could. We’ve rein-
vested a lot of profits back
into the restaurant, which has
helped continue to make us
profitable, and continue our
high-quality food and atmo-
sphere. And believe it or not,
I really enjoy and appreci-
ate the competition with the
other restaurants in town.
People have choices, and
choices mean that people are
in my restaurant because they
love my food, or atmosphere,
seeing their friends, or even
enjoying visiting with us and
my staff.”
Luna is also very aware of
the impact that he has on the
local economy not with just
taking care of his custom-
ers. In the summer months he
employs as many as 25 full-
and part-time employees, and
during the slower months
about 13. Being small, with a
lot of skillsets, helps Luna act
quickly if need be and helps
keeps his costs down and
overall quality high to meet
demand.
Now with a young family
of four and all the responsi-
bilities that go with it, Luna
is still “working ’neath the
wheels,” while contribut-
ing to the success of his
community.
A lab
of lov or
e
s
Siste e r d!
n
Ow
“Peter restored my 15-year-old white
carpets. No easy feat with two big dogs.”
— Brad Boyd
541-549-6471
35 Years Experience | Peter Herman, Owner
Could You Have “Tech Neck?”
A rise in neck pain has been linked
to the time spent looking down
at devices. Th e load on your neck
increases 3-4 times when your neck
muscles, ligaments & discs try to
support your head at this angle.
Th is can create neck & jaw pain,
headaches & balance problems.
I can help! I specialize in treating
all the components of your neck
and can advise you on positions
and strategies at home and work
to reduce the load on your neck.
10th
Anniversary
Party!
Saturday, September 23, 5 to 9 p.m.
Thank you, Sisters community for your support!
Matt Carter
P.T., D.P.T.
541-549-3534
325 N. Locust St., Sisters
www.greenridgept.com
“You’re in the right hands”
Enjoy a Mariachi band from
Portland, prizes and specials.
Come early!
541-549-3594
150 E. Cascade Ave.
7 Days a Week