In 2019, Edgar Rico and Sara Mardanbigi opened their restaurant - Nixta Taqueria - in Austin, Texas, and did an amazing job during Covid lockdowns helping their local community. Now, they are feeling a boomerang of good karma, after the community found out their business was in dire straits.
They weathered the pandemic by offering curbside delivery and their friendly spirit and neighbourly compassion really came to life a year later when the Texas freeze shut down their power for 2 weeks. Even though they couldn’t operate as a restaurant, the caring couple still managed to feed thousands of people, using propane tanks and with the help of numerous friends.
Nixta Taqueria also became a pilot location of the new Austin Free Fridge Program. Edgar and Sara began replenishing the community fridge sometimes upwards of 20 times a day with everything from fresh meals to ‘hydration packs’ during heatwaves. It became a lifeline for many.
In August, their electricity was suddenly disconnected due to network problems. They were told it was going to be an easy-ish fix, but it has now escalated to a place they could have never imagined. The City of Austin told them that what is generally a 24-hour repair that would have cost around $10k had now ballooned to a months long project that would require upwards of $100k.
So, desperate for help, Sara Mardanbigi set up a GoFundMe page. Strangers and customers stepped up to support the taqueria, saying thank you for taking care of the community during winter storms, heatwaves, and pandemics. $80,000 flowed in within 48 hours. Eventually, that figure climbed to $115,000 thanks to 1,400 donations.
“It’s the best feeling in the world when you can tell that people have your back,” they wrote on the donation page where a stream of comments provided praise and encouragement. One donor's message read: "Y'all fed us when we were frozen. You figured out how to make curbside happen when people were sick. You feed the community with the fridge and pantry. You lift other area chefs up and help grow other businesses along the way. It's the least that we could do when y'all already do so much. THANK YOU!"
Happily, the restaurant is now back up and running, with Edgar and Sara relieved that they can continue paying their workers and serving customers. Theirs is a wonderful example of one good turn (or, rather, several) deserving another (or, rather, hundreds) in return.