Microlender: Center for Rural Affairs
- Location: Jackson, NE
- Loan amount:
When Ernesto Estrada Marquez came to the U.S. in 2001, he didn’t plan on eventually owning a restaurant. But he took jobs in the food industry after arriving in Chicago, and he discovered he enjoyed it immensely.
Ernesto has worked off and on in the restaurant industry for the past two decades, and now he and his brother Alejandro own Palermo Italian Cuisine & Bar, in Jackson, Nebraska. A true family-run business, they operate the restaurant with their wives, Jessica Marquez Velazquez and Dayana Cross Magana.
“My brother was living here in Nebraska before me, and his wife’s family had been living here as well,” said Ernesto. “So, after talking about and planning to open a restaurant, he thought we should do it in Nebraska. I moved, and we got to work.”
Their first step was finding a location. By a lucky coincidence, a friend who also owns a restaurant connected the brothers with the owner of a building in Jackson, a town in northeast Nebraska near Sioux City, Iowa. After reaching out to that owner and placing a phone call to Adriana Dungan, a consultant with the Center for Rural Affairs, the brothers solidified their plan to buy the building.
With assistance from the Center, they were able to get a loan to buy the building and equipment they needed to open their restaurant in August 2022.
“Their journey from Chicago to Jackson reflects a deep commitment to family and community, highlighting how their experiences in the culinary world have shaped their vision for Palermo,” said Adriana. “Small businesses can enrich communities, and their story inspires others to pursue their dreams and emphasizes the transformative power of community and hard work. Their narrative is not just about food; it’s about family and the power of community ties.”
Palermo is a full-service, family-style Italian restaurant that offers cuisine inspired by authentic family recipes. The business owners’ goal is to provide a dining experience that draws customers in and keeps them coming back for more.
“Our inspiration came in trying the best that we can to offer good food to people, and even though we are Mexican and Mexican food is great, we also wanted to give different options for people to try,” Ernesto said.
The menu at Palermo includes appetizers, salads, fried calamari, and carpaccio-sliced meats. They also have beef and tuna, as well as pasta with seafood and chicken. Other chicken dishes are available, as are beef tenderloin and ribeyes. Customers can dine in or order food for carry-out.
Jackson has a population of about 200, and that has its disadvantages, Ernesto said, adding that they work to find fresh, innovative ways to attract new customers.
“We are one of the few restaurants here,” he said. “It can be challenging trying to grow our clientele, especially since we are in a small town.”
Most of their competition is in nearby Sioux City. The brothers have been using social media to entice more customers to make the 15-minute trip to try their food. (Learn about word-of-mouth marketing and determining your target market in our Small Business Series.)
The flexibility of being a small-town business owner has some perks, too. Ernesto believes the success of the business comes down to how much effort the family puts in. In addition to Ernesto, Alejandro, and their wives, they employ two other people who help with food preparation and dish washing.
“Since it’s our business, we can work as much as we want, and we want to make it successful because the business depends on us,” Ernesto said. “We want to continue to grow our business, and we will see what will come in the future.”
He encourages people thinking about opening a business to go for it, and to look to the Center for assistance if needed.
“It is one of the best things you can do, to be a business owner and make it successful, “ he said. “Everyone at the Center has been so helpful, and they have so many resources to use.”