Gusanoz Aims for Another Twenty Years

When the news dropped at the end of December that two restaurants in the Gusanoz family would be closing their doors, it felt like another sign of the times for an increasingly challenging industry. Costs for restaurants are rising, margins are shrinking, and uncertainty is the economic word of the hour. But for Nick Yager and Maria Limon, co-owners of the restaurant that’s been serving Mexican food to the people of Lebanon for almost twenty years, there might be a better word to focus on: perseverance.

Gusanoz first opened its doors on August 16, 2005, and has been a fixture on Lebanon’s ‘Miracle Mile’ ever since – but it hasn’t been the couple’s only venture. In 2006, they expanded briefly into Woodstock: “that lasted a little over a year,” Nick says. “Which was great in the summertime, but in the fall, everybody would go home and it just wasn’t sustainable.” In 2010, they tried again in Hanover, which worked well until they took on an ice cream business. “[We] found that ice cream was a business that was very foreign to us.” Throughout it all, their flagship location carried the weight well. “We had a good crew here, and we focused on this for the next ten years or so.”

The most recent challenges for the business began in 2021, with the purchase of Mickey’s in Enfield. The previous year, the couple had worked with their son Eddie to open Lalo’s, a taqueria on the Lebanon Mall, and while it wasn’t yet profitable, it wasn’t the strain on the finances that the Enfield location would become: “We were having to put in probably $10,000-$15,000 a month [to support Enfield],” Nick says. “Gusanoz really couldn’t sustain that type of cash flow going out to support that business.”

Talking about exactly how bankruptcy happens, Nick quotes Hemingway: “Two ways: gradually, then suddenly.” A consultant determined that the Enfield location wasn’t financially sustainable. Lalo’s could have survived under Chapter 11, but would have had to make some compromises on ingredients and pricing that were deal breakers for Eddie. But the flagship location? “If we just met our normal budgets, [it] could survive.”

Nick Yager reveals a flavorful batch of slow-cooked birria destined for tacos. Photos by Richard Ford Burley

“Chapter 11” is the chapter of the US Bankruptcy Code that can help a business make a plan to keep its doors open and its staff employed. In fact, thanks to the restructuring the business is undergoing, Nick was able to offer positions to “anybody that was looking for something” from the closing restaurants, in the end taking in five employees from Enfield and one from Lalo’s.

But this isn’t the first time the restaurant has needed to shift directions to keep moving forward. “The day that they shut down indoor dining in New Hampshire [due to Covid], we had a staff meeting, and we said we’re going to reopen tomorrow and we’re going to focus on ‘to-go’…We shifted gears almost immediately, went out and bought a couple of delivery cars…We hit it hard and we just kept going.” Doing so set the stage for their latest move.

Just next door to the Lebanon location are big signs reading “Gusanoz Express” and “To Go Pick Up Here.” In its previous incarnation, the space had been a podcast studio. Then it was the focus for their Covid-era food prep kitchen and pickup, but the need for that had passed, and they’d been searching for another use for the space that would also be a revenue center. “So in December, we opened up Gusanoz Express,” Nick says. “The intent is to have a quick-serve menu that’s ‘to go’ and delivery, so we make burritos, nachos, tortas, birria tacos, and a couple other things…you can just walk in or you can order off the menu online.” Customers can also order through DoorDash, and they’re working on GrubHub and UberEats as well. “It’s a way to access Dartmouth, a bit easier as far as the population there goes.” The hard part? Getting the word out.

Back when they first opened, Nick says, “there were basically three main TV stations, some cable that everybody watched, and a couple of social media platforms…back then it was easy to place an ad and there would be a response.” He laughs, remembering: “We used to do ads on CNN.” These days, the media landscape is more of a challenge, but they’re seeing some success on the DoorDash front, with “probably $2000-$3000 a week…which is decent volume.” He’s hopeful locals will spread the news through word of mouth.

Another revenue driver on the horizon is Gusanoz-branded sauces and salsas. They put in the work a decade ago to get the needed licenses and developed four hot sauces and a salsa. “We’re certified to sell those anywhere in the country,” Nick says. But, “since we have the license, we can also bottle other things that we can sell out of the restaurant.” Bottles of their red enchilada sauce will be back soon. “It’s super simple: it’s all natural, chili peppers, tomatillos – very simple ingredients, but delicious.” After that, a green enchilada and some salsas, too. “So that’s the goal…I can help cover [Gusanoz Express] and also work on bottling, because the prep kitchen is right back here.”

Throughout the challenges, Nick says there’s been a lot of support from the community. “There’s a lot of positive vibes from people. We get some of it directly from people that know us or see us, and we get a lot of feedback from the staff, from regulars, and other folks too who are coming in because they heard we’re in a situation. And then on social media, you see some positive comments about supporting the Lebanon location, too.” Between that, the restructuring, the new efforts, and a history of elbow grease and, again, perseverance, Nick and Maria are hopeful for the future of Gusanoz: “If the economy holds strong, and if product pricing doesn’t shift for our ingredients, we should be on the path to another twenty years. This is our twentieth year of business and we’d like to do another twenty.”