Meet Frances D’Quebec | Chef & Food Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Frances D’Quebec and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Frances, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
First thought: who is going to be my bread and butter?

This applies to most businesses, not just the restaurant business.
I’ve seen many businesses fail because they fundamentally don’t know who they’re targeting.

The first thing I asked myself was, who is going to walk in? Who is going to order, call, visit our location?

1. If you’re close to the airport, are you targeting travelers. I did.

2. If you’re close to a school, are you targeting teachers, parents, students, etc.? I did.

3. If you’re close to a hospital, do you target the staff? I did.

You need to know who is going to buy your product.

And now that I’m in between the Sofi stadium and Lax, I target everyone.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Our restaurant serves authentic Mexican food. We’re not trying to remake or rebrand traditional dishes.. We’re very basic. We stick to foods that taste good.

We do however offer a vegetarian menu. I was raised vegetarian and understand that market well.

Vegetarians or vegans can enjoy any of our dishes without meat. We offer grilled veggies as an option as well, and have designed an entire menu to meet their needs.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love the beach. It’s my home. I’d go to the marina (Marina del Rey) and rent a boat, sail into the ocean to explore. Then we’d rent bikes at the bike shop in the Marina and head over to Manhattan Beach (MB) and have lunch at Fishbar. We’d walk our food off checking out all the local shops in the vicinity. Then ride back while watching the sunset and grabbing drinks at a local bar by the beach, like Hacienda del Rey. They’ve got the yummiest margaritas.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I owe my entire existence and drive to my sons. I want to be their greatest example. They’ve seen that hard work pays off. I want them to be proud of me. And, their love motivates me.

They’ve worked with me (at the restaurant) their entire lives. Andrew, 31, just got married and he’s slowly taking control of the restaurant’s day to day operations. AlanKane, 21, is taking control of the finances. They both began as dishwashers but moved up.

Website: Www.lafondamexicanfood.com