Since Covid-19 hit, Chef-Owner Carolyn Nguyen realized her Center City restaurant Revolution Taco has had a lot of downtime.
Lunchtime traffic has been particularly stunted as office employees continue to work from home. With the schedule of the 2015 Walnut St. concept’s typical daytime customer now unpredictable, so is the eatery’s business during the normally reliable noon to 2 p.m. rush.
The lull prompted Nguyen to get creative about generating revenue as Revolution Taco gets a pulse on consumer behavior during the pandemic. It was on one of these slower days at the restaurant that her wheels started turning about establishing a new revenue source, and Nguyen decided to try bottling a line of retail hot sauces.
Revolution Taco, which opened in January 2016, ultimately unveiled three standard hot sauce flavors — salsa roja, salsa verde, and smoked pepper — as well as a rotating seasonal option, which is currently strawberry lemon chipotle. The three staples have been provided complimentary to customers with their meals since the restaurant’s launch, so pinpointing the offering for retail seemed like a natural transition, Nguyen said.
The rotating seasonal flavor is where she gets to “have the most fun,” as Nguyen looks to craft appealing combinations of fruits and spices that stand out.
“I like being able to be creative, change things up,” she said. “With the seasonal ones I like being able to push it a little bit with the flavors.” Some people are very set on the hot sauce flavors they like, so the rotating recipe “is something a little bit more for me,” Nguyen added.
The products are produced, packaged and bottled in-house at Revolution Taco in a process Nguyen describes as a “labor of love.” Everything is small-batch and handmade, which makes it time consuming.
That means the venture also keeps workers busy as the eatery figures out its new peak hours, which Nguyen said are “ever-changing” given constantly updating Covid-19 mandates, growing pandemic wariness among customers, and a summertime lull.
Starting the project has come with “a huge learning curve” when it comes to producing bottled condiments and navigating retail logistics, she said.
The first time Nguyen packaged the sauces, for example, she didn’t realize how long it would take. She needed a couple hours to fill 15 bottles because the container opening is so small. Since then, she’s acquired a machine that accelerates the bottling process, and now is figuring out how to ensure labels are placed evenly.
“It’s all those little things that we don't think about that now we have to,” Nguyen said.
Still in its nascent stages, Revolution Taco hot sauce is available in-store or as part of pickup and delivery orders placed with the restaurant. The sauces haven’t yet been widely marketed, and Nguyen is averaging about 15 units in weekly sales. She looks to have her products carried in small boutique stores around the region.
Like most in the hospitality industry, Revolution Taco was “caught off guard” when Covid-19 hit the region. The eatery remained open throughout virtually the entire pandemic, but Nguyen said it's been a struggle to figure out how to generate revenue amid so many unknowns.
“It’s been really difficult because this is something that's new for everyone and there's no reference point,” Nguyen said. “So it's just trying to go with my gut instincts on what's the best route.”
