ORLANDO, Fla. — Zaza hopes to share heritage, culture, and coffee with customers. With multiple locations across Central Florida, the Cuban comfort food restaurants are a way that the owner shares his Cuban and Puerto Rican culture all year long.
What You Need To Know
Ruven Perez opened his first Cuban restaurant at the age of 22, but one building wasn’t big enough for his dreams
Prospera helped Perez expand Zaza to the multiple locations the company has today
For 30 years, Prospera has helped Hispanic and other business owners start or expand
In the last year, there have been more than 1500 clients in Central Florida
From breakfast to lunch to dinner, the kitchen is busy. “Those things are dangerous, because when you have a quesito, you want another quesito and another quesito, we sell about 60,000 a month of those things,” said Ruben Perez, the president and co-founder of Zaza.
Quesitos are a popular item, but you can’t forget the Cuban coffee. Exact measurements, the perfect pressure and a process that can’t be rushed. “If you see it pouring out too fast, something is wrong, it is going to take at least 20-35 seconds,” Perez said.
But his mission is more than just to make the perfect cup of coffee. “It is getting to share where I am from and I’m super proud of that,” Perez said.
Perez opened his first Cuban restaurant at the age of 22, but one building wasn’t big enough for his dreams. “My original vision was to create a brand,” Perez said.
Zaza was born in 2013 with the help of Prospera.
“They actually helped me a lot writing my first real business plan to get some funding to start growing the thing and they were huge for that to get me started understanding the banking world and funding and things like that because I started on a shoestring budget doing my own thing back then,” Perez said.
For 30 years, Prospera has helped Hispanic and other business owners start or expand. In the last year, there have been more than 1500 clients in Central Florida.
“To me it is incredibly rewarding to see how someone comes through our door with sometimes just an idea of starting a business with a dream and helping them through every obstacle and access the capital they need through education,” said Katia Medina, the Regional Vice President for Prospera.
Perez has seen success and now gives back through donations, volunteering and serving on the board of Prospera.
“It is kind of full circle,” Perez said.
Perez now helps new entrepreneurs but never forgets where he started.
“My father came to this country and said you are an American first,” Perez said. “Zaza for me is a culmination of that, of my heritage, kind of the Cuban side of my heritage, because I happen to be Cuban and Puerto Rican, so there is a little influence of both.”
Whether breakfast food, sweet treats or a sandwich, there is only one way to end your time at Zaza.
Prospera services are free to anyone who would like to learn more about getting their business off the ground or expand to multiple locations. Learn more.
Dining and Cooking