We Started A Burrito Spot In A Home Depot Parking Lot – It Brings In $2.3 Million/Year

Lydia Holmes (36) and John Clark (33) opened LJ's Lil' Café in September 2021 in a shed located in a Home Depot parking lot in Orange County, California. They chose this location for its built-in foot traffic and low overhead costs compared to traditional brick-and-mortar restaurants. Initially conceived as more of a hot dog stand, their breakfast burrito quickly became the star menu item, featuring 25 extra-crispy tater tots and a full cup of cheese per burrito. The business started slowly, generating only $200-300 per day in sales, with about half coming from Home Depot employees. Their breakthrough came when a freelance writer discovered them on Yelp and wrote an article for Eater LA. This coverage transformed their business overnight - they went from $300 in sales on Thursday to their first $1,000 sales day on Friday after the article published, and haven't dropped below $1,000 daily since. The sudden popularity created operational challenges, with weekend wait times reaching 2-3 hours and the need to implement a callback system for orders. On weekends, they now serve 600-700 burritos daily. The couple financed their initial shed through a family loan and later obtained a bank loan through John's grandparents' duplex refinancing. They've reinvested profits back into the business, paid off loans, and taken care of their team. The business has allowed them to scale and open additional locations, though maintaining consistency across locations remains a challenge since they can't be present at all sites simultaneously.