Nonprofit Helps Chicago Restaurant Entrepreneurs Serve Up Success | L…

Most Friday afternoons find the Ramirez family pretty busy serving customers at Rubi’s Tacos on 18th Street. But it wasn’t that long ago that Rubi’s tacos — star of Netflix’s “Taco Chronicles” and countless TikToks — were only available once per week at a stand on Maxwell Street.

“When we met Rubi’s, they were street vendors, they started selling tamales and tortas out of a cooler at, like, different soccer matches throughout the city. And when we met them, they had a really impressive taco stand,” said Jackson Flores, co-founder and executive director of the restaurant development nonprofit DishRoulette Kitchen.

“The pandemic forced them into selling out of their apartment. We … put them in a physical space that supported their revenue streams and everything in between,” added co-founder and director of finance Brian Soto.

Since then, the Ramirez family has successfully transitioned into a brick-and-mortar location. That’s thanks in large part to…