(People line up all weekend to purchase roasted whole chickens basted with a special marinade | Photo by Andrea Hine)
“I’ve met so many people from Bend, Prineville, and the Valley who come here for our extensive variety of Hispanic items — including an entire aisle of spices that are used in Latin and South American cuisine — and tell us they’re grateful not to have to travel further,” said Rosita Rivera, manager.
“If customers ask for something the store hasn’t stocked, such as aji amarilla (a very hot pepper native to the Andes), we try to get it in for them, calling upon our vendors that we have everywhere.”
“And there is such great diversity among our shoppers,” Rivera said, “including people from Peru, Cuba, and Venezuela, in addition to our Mexican clientele.” (Hispanic and Latino residents make up roughly 31.9% to 36.1% of Madras’s population, making it one of the top cities in Oregon with the highest concentration of residents identifying with Latin American heritage.)
Reviews of the Madras El Torito are highly positive, with customers praising the fresh bread coming out of the bakery case several times a day, the on-site prepared foods such as birria pizza and fresh ceviche in its deli section, and the friendly service and welcoming atmosphere.
“Number one in popularity is a station outside the store where one of our employees roasts whole chickens basted with his special marinade on Saturdays and Sundays,” Rivera said. “People line up all weekend from the time El Torito opens in the morning at 7am to when we close at 9pm.”
“Response from the community since we opened our doors last year has been what we expected,” Rivera said. “Our goal is to make customers happy.”
