National recognition and a bigger dream for Lord Empanada

Five years in the restaurant business. That’s something worth celebrating.

I’ve been reviewing restaurants for more than 20 years, and if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that opening a restaurant is difficult. Keeping one open for five years? That’s an accomplishment.

Lord Empanada, located on Myrtle Avenue in Old Town Monrovia, recently celebrated its fifth anniversary. I sat down with owner Ryan Lopez this past weekend to talk about the restaurant, the challenges of running a small business, and what the next five years might look like.

This wasn’t really a conversation about which empanada tastes best. It was about business, ambition, and the reality of trying to grow something you’ve worked so hard to build.

And Ryan had plenty to say.

Lopez started the business after being laid off during the pandemic, with the chimichurri recipe from his grandmother. Over the past five years, he’s been working toward something bigger than simply opening another restaurant. His goal is to bring Lord Empanada’s signature chimichurri sauce and empanadas into wholesale distribution under his Lion Hospitality Group as separate products. In other words, he wants customers to be able to enjoy Lord Empanada without necessarily visiting Myrtle Avenue.

But there’s another motivation behind his plans, one that I suspect many restaurant owners will understand.

Ryan wants a better work-life balance.

He describes wholesale distribution as his potential “way out” of the restaurant industry. Not because he doesn’t believe in his restaurant, but because operating one day-after-day can take an enormous toll on an owner’s time and personal life.

And here’s where the story gets interesting.

Lord Empanada isn’t some struggling restaurant desperately searching for a new identity. Ryan has already built an impressive résumé. The business has been recognized by Yelp as Small Business of the Year and, according to Ryan, earned a place on Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat in the United States in both 2023 and 2025. Those are accomplishments worth celebrating. But awards don’t necessarily pay the bills.

Ryan tells me that annual sales remain steady, yet rising costs across the board have made expansion extremely difficult. And that’s something I’ve heard repeatedly from restaurant owners throughout the San Gabriel Valley.

A restaurant can be busy, popular, and well respected, yet still struggle to generate enough extra capital to grow. It’s one of the great frustrations of the independent restaurant business.

Ryan hasn’t been sitting around waiting for something to happen.

According to him, the necessary shelf-life testing, nutritional information, trademarking, packaging, paperwork, and financial projections for his wholesale products have already been completed. He also has co-packers ready to manufacture the products.

In other words, much of the groundwork has been done.

What’s missing? Working capital.

Ryan says he’s open to bringing in an investor in exchange for equity in the business. He believes strongly in the brand he’s created and is confident that wholesale distribution can succeed once financing is secured.

I find that fascinating.

Here we have a local businessman who has spent five years building a recognizable brand, collecting awards, establishing a loyal customer base, and preparing for expansion. Yet the biggest obstacle isn’t necessarily demand for his product. It’s the money required to take the next step.

I often talk about the importance of supporting independent restaurants. My Eat Local campaign is built around the simple idea that all our neighborhood businesses deserve more attention and more customers.

But Ryan’s story reminds us that supporting local businesses is more than deciding where to have lunch. These are entrepreneurs with dreams, families, employees, financial obligations, and plans that sometimes extend far beyond the four walls of their restaurants. And sometimes success creates an entirely new set of challenges.

As for Lord Empanada, the doors are open, the empanadas are being served, and Ryan continues doing what he’s been doing for the past five years. Only now, he’s hoping the next chapter will take his products beyond Myrtle Avenue.

I don’t know whether his chimichurri sauce will someday be sitting on supermarket shelves throughout Southern California. But I wouldn’t bet against a determined restaurant owner who’s already made it through five years in this business.

Congratulations, Ryan, on five years. And here’s hoping the next five bring not only continued success, but a little more time to enjoy it.

Eat Local. Support Local.