Community Highlights: Meet Ruby Bakhshi of ALPACA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ruby Bakhshi. Them and their team share their story with us below:

Nora Palma (my mother) left El Salvador at the age of 22 in 1974. She came to Washington, DC with a dream to open her own business.

Like many immigrants, she found domestic work with a Doctor and his family who she became very close and who would end up sponsoring her permanent residency. Through her tenacity, Nora continued to work, take English classes, and landed an entry-level job at Navy Federal Credit Union headquarters in Vienna, Virginia.

She worked her way up to supervisor and served 20 years with the company. During this time, she raised 3 children, worked full time, was actively involved in community volunteering, and began a home business during tax season in which she prepared tax returns for family and friends.

In 2004, she was one year away from retirement when a sudden entrepreneurial opportunity came up in North Carolina. As a natural-born visionary, she envisioned the opportunity to establish a name for herself in Durham. Within 2 weeks, she left everything she knew in the DC area, to begin her new journey.

“La Hispano America” was soon open for business as a Latino-focused Administrative Services store in which she combined her knowledge of tax preparation services, translation services, and experience-based guidance to Latinos in the US. She became quickly known and endeared in the Latino community as “Mami Nora”, the nickname the children in her family called her.

With the following she built solely based on her genuine desire to help others and with her savvy business mentality, she decided to, with the help of her children, open a small Latin restaurant focused on Peruvian Style Rotisserie Chicken; something foreign to the Durham community.

In December 2007, “Mami Nora’s” open for business on 302 Davidson Ave. in Durham, NC. Once an antique shop, Nora purchased and transformed the building into a restaurant. But after a horrible fire two weeks after opening, Mami Nora’s closed for business. With the help of friends and family, an extra set of loans for repairs, and the “never give up” spirit, Nora led her family to come together and rebuild the restaurant. In January 2007, Mami Nora re-opened its doors with the support of the community and continued to grow its clientele.

In 2010, the first store opened in Raleigh, NC. With stores opening every year after that.

In 2015, Mami Nora retired and her children Ruby and Ranbir, fully took over the business. They rebranded the name to ALPACA, sold one store in Raleigh to a family member, and started their new journey as ALPACA; focusing on superb food quality, customer service, and integrity of the foundation their mother had helped them build.

ALPACA’s mission is to exceed each guest’s expectations through genuine service and food quality. Our vision is to be trendsetting leaders by bringing an unforgettable experience to every guest; Utilizing our culture to create diversity through food. Our core values are respect, integrity, gratitude, family, and excellence.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Nope! Family businesses will always tell you that it is “hard to work with family”. Having to figure out your own personal growth while simultaneously growing your business is very challenging.

Another thing that entrepreneurs struggle with is the work/life balance, we are no exception to this either; especially when you have a young family or go through milestones like marriage, your first child, purchasing your first home, etc.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Alpaca is a family-owned and operated restaurant chain in the triangle. We specialize in Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken. We are the triangle’s first and largest Peruvian restaurant chain and this is probably due to our focus on consistency and quality.

Brand wise, we are most proud of our ability to grow with our community and continue giving quality service and food. We are also very proud to be many people’s first experience with Latin Food; bringing people from all walks of life into our dining rooms.

We love surprises, fun facts, and unexpected stories. Is there something you can share that might surprise us?
We are not a Franchise, we are family-owned and operated. We joke that we are not a “Mom and Pop” but rather, a “Sister and Brother”, which is: A family-owned business taking it to the next level. We actually appreciate people thinking we are a franchise because it means that our consistency and streamlined processes are working.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: www.alpacachicken.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alpaca_chicken/