True to its name, the historic, 12-floor Hotel Fenix in downtown Guadalajara a few blocks from the main cathedral, is apparently rising from the ashes of the Covid-19 crisis.
The hotel’s survival, at least to date, comes thanks to an innovative tamal operation, set up for carry-out orders to the public and meal donations to medical personnel at hospitals.
“We just started 20 days ago,” explained Felipe Rios, as workers in cubrebocas (masks) bustled around him in the otherwise empty reception lobby and ground floor restaurant, which includes a shuttered Starbucks. The positive response from Tapatios has been overwhelming, he said.
“The first day, we planned to start slow with 100 tamales and instead we made 7,000,” he said matter-of-factly. How did they do it? “I don’t know,” he deadpanned
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