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SANDY — House of Corn Mexican Cuisine in Sandy is considering shutting its doors after months of struggling in a low-traffic location.
"For me, it's really painful to make that decision," owner and chef Armando Guerrero said. "I made the decision of making a restaurant to share what we do in Mexico, to share the real Mexican food. It's something that I enjoy doing, but if it's not making money and people don't like it, well, we might have to go."
The restaurant specializes in multi-colored corn tortillas that are common in southern Mexico, including Guerrero's home state of Morelos. Guerrero opened the restaurant in April 2020 after seeing a lack of authentic Mexican food in the area.
"I think that in Utah, a lot of people say that they like Mexican food, but they really don't like Mexican food. I think that they just like Tex-Mex food because, for us, our food is the real traditional Mexican food," he said. "But there's a lot of people from California and Mexican people that really appreciate what we do because, in House of Corn, we take our culinary heritage very seriously — to the point that we stone grind our own corn."
House of Corn has struggled since June, after neighboring Cinemark Movies 9 closed and charter school Beehive Science and Technology Academy relocated. Those losses meant foot traffic slowed down terribly, Guerrero said.
The decrease in traffic came at an already difficult time for House of Corn. The restaurant was still recovering from a severe rain storm in August 2021 that flooded and collapsed the roof and damaged the inside of the building, forcing the restaurant to close for two weeks. The lost business, supplies and damages to equipment amounted to over $40,000, according to a GoFundMe* for the restaurant.
Insurance adjusters determined that the flood was due to building management neglecting proper maintenance; however, management refused to do an insurance claim to cover the damages, the GoFundMe states. Guerrero said he has since had difficulties interacting with the property's management, which has not allowed them to put up signage to help promote the business.
"It's been a nightmare with those guys not helping us," he said. "Since we got in here, the Sandy Village management is not easy. They're not easy people."
Property manager Curt Lorenz of Red Tail Acquisitions, a California-based company that appears to own the Sandy Village Mall based on public records, did not answer KSL.com's request for comment.
In another blow, Guerrero said banks denied him a small business loan twice because of his immigration status — he is currently in the U.S. on a E2 foreign investor visa. The nail in the coffin came Sunday when Guerrero said he received a notice to pay late rent or vacate within three business days. Although Guerrero said he was able to pay December's rent, he still owes about three months' rent, totaling about $11,000.
Guerrero said after posting about the incident, Sandy Mayor Monica Zoltanski reached out to connect him with the city's economic development department, which was able to talk with the building manager.
"I'm so sorry to see this. I was just there on Saturday and had the street tacos! We need to help find you a better location so (people) can find you more easily," Zoltanski replied on the restaurant's Facebook post. "We need you to continue to share your culinary talents with the people! Anyone have a restaurant location to help?"
Guerrero said the property owner reached out to him yesterday and offered to accept Guerrero's previous request to give him three more months to get caught up on rent while the restaurant tries some new tactics, including a new marketing firm. But at this point, Guerrero says he's tired and the ordeal is having an impact on his health.
"I'm at the point that I don't know if I still want to do this because do you know how sad it is to have a business and no one is showing up?" Guerrero said. "If the people don't like it, or if we are in a difficult spot like this, well, I think the right thing to do is stop losing money and close down."
Customer Rebecca Fetterman said the restaurant closing would break her heart.
"I am so sorry for all that has happened. I really hoped the Sandy community would have been able to pull together and save House of Corn," Fetterman replied on the restaurant's Facebook post. "We truly hope you are able to find a new location and keep your dream alive! You have amazing talent and wonderful food that needs to be shared with our community."
Gurrero won't make a final decision until Dec. 28. In the meantime, he said he's had some individuals reach out to him about partnerships and other locations.
"It was one of my dreams, you know? But if it's gonna be like this, I don't want it. Nobody wants to open a business to fail," he said. "On one side, I believe that we were doing something unique, something special, something good. But on the other hand, if it was good enough, people would be coming back, but they're not coming."
*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisors and otherwise proceed at your own risk.
