Over the years, the Klang Valley’s food scene has grown to be a melting pot of different concepts and cuisines. From KBBQ to Southern food, there’s a lot of specialist restaurants now offering unique dishes.
One cuisine that has been on the rise is Mexican fare, and one spot specialising in Mexican birria tacos that have popped up is Comienzo, which was previously known as Los Primos Locos.
Addressing a market gap
Director Muhammad bin Harun is joined by two other founders, Nasruddin and Farid, both of whom are serial entrepreneurs with other businesses. Namely, Nasruddin runs a travel agency and Farid owns a gym. Together, they also own a joint business, Kopimanual.
As for Muhammad, he used to work in a Seksyen 9 restaurant and as well in Bukit Jelutong whilst running his own taco stall at that time.
“I noticed if we want tacos, we have to go to either Chica Bonita, Chili’s, etc., but most of these restaurants have alcohol, and majority of Malaysian are Muslims,” he pointed out.
With that realisation, Muhammad didn’t hesitate to start whipping up tacos. He started it with his cousin using a humble capital of RM2,000, more or less.
That figure and commitment might sound crazy to some, which is why they called the business Los Primos Locos, meaning The Crazy Cousins.
As crazy as it sounds, the love they had for the business made it all worth it. “When you have the drive, the passion to wait eight to 12 hours until the meat is tender, and getting positive and the love from the community, that’s love.”
Established in September 2021, the business remained as a roadside stall for around two years.
Till today, the brand’s menu items, especially the spices for the birria, are all made in-house.
“We’ve received lots of positive and advices from Mexicans on what to improve more on our salsas, and how to do it,” Muhammad said. “They helped us a lot and we are humbled for it.”
From roadside stall to a brick-and-mortar
While Muhammad originally started the taco business with his cousin, the idea for Comienzo was created by Los Primos Tacos along with Nasruddin and Farid’s Kopimanual.
“Both companies had the same dream of opening our own restaurant,” Muhammad explained. “So, one day we sat down together and we talked about being partners in business.”
Setting expectations upfront, the trio split up their roles, with Muhammad taking on the duty of being at the restaurant every day—even on off days to prep—while the other two focused on finances, accounting, and other admin work.
While the roadside stall was originally stationed in Seksyen 7, Comienzo has set up shop in Eco Ardence. They were a rather established brand back in Seksyen 7, often selling out even before the day ended. So why move away?
“We decided to move to Eco Ardence as it was a good location for us,” Muhammad said, referring to him and his partners.
Initially, he wanted to go for Seksyen 9 or Bukit Jelutong, two places he has worked at before. But due to timing constraints, they settled on Eco Ardence.
Regarding the name, they decided to come up with a new one, Comienzo. The word means beginning, signifying the start of the new partnership and, hopefully, a long journey to come.
From roadside to brick-and-mortar
Going from a roadside stall to a brick-and-mortar store is pretty different, though. Muhammad shared that it has been quite a big challenge, and came with its fair share of surprises.
That said, he’s worked in restaurants and cafes, and had the opportunity to learn from and ask the owners how they manage the staffs and finances.
But the main challenges he faced weren’t so much about expanding into a physical outlet, but working with external people.
“The challenge for me was when two companies collaborate and the staffs have never worked together, there will be times when there’s a tense moment,” Muhammad explained. “Even amongst the partners, sometimes there can be a clash of ideas.”
The only way for them to overcome the problems, he learnt, is through communication. As such, the teams hold many staff meetings to go over things that can be improved. Even amongst the partners, they would endeavour to come to a neutral conclusion so that everything can be smooth sailing.
In any case, there seems to be no regrets about going from a roadside store to running a physical outlet. Muhammad recognised, though, that opening a physical store might not be for all roadside entrepreneurs.
“It actually depends on the individual,” he said. “Some can move forward when they open a brick-and-mortar store, but some become stagnant and later would close their doors.”
He himself had this fear too when opening Comienzo. But looking at his staff who tirelessly set up the tent and brought down the griddle from the company’s van almost every day, he convinced himself that it was time for some change and growth.
Growing with the market
Having been running his own birria taco stall for about three years now, Muhammad believes that things have changed in terms of the F&B scene in Malaysia.
“I can see that people are no longer afraid to try something out of the norm, and it should be like that,” he said. “Especially in places we would consider as outside of the city or suburbs.”
Areas like Petaling Jaya and Bukit Jelutong are now home to many F&B spots, from artisanal bakeries to coffee shops, and these places would often be packed with people.
“I pray for younger chefs and entrepreneurs to express more and bring in more new ideas, creating a new canvas to the F&B industry,” he said. “As the world is moving forward, so is our industry. Even though we might be a little bit behind, I know one day we can catch up with other restaurants/cafes outside of Malaysia.”
With that said, Muhammad seems to have bold plans to grow Comienzo to more outlets, and maybe one day, even venture abroad.
- Learn more about Comienzo by Los Primos Locos here.
- Read other articles we’ve written about F&B businesses here.
Featured Image Credit: Comienzo by Los Primos Locos
