Small Biz Spotlight: Ortega's Taco Shop

Ortega's Taco Shop is a brand new authentic Mexican restaurant that opened in our neighbor city Ranson, very close to the Charles Town line, in July of 2013. This family run business specializes in making fresh tacos, chips, and salsa daily. Each and every week, Ortega's Taco Shop offers a popular deal where customers can purchase their delicious street tacos for only $0.99 each. Many of their regular customers that know and love Ortega’s never miss this deal. It is brilliantly coined, “Taco Tuesday” or on social media, “#TacoTuesday.”

                
Ortega’s is proudly owned by Mave and Eric Greene. Their daughter, Natalie, is an essential part of their culinary team. The restaurant is named Ortega's after Mave’s maiden name. The building in which Ortega's is nestled was formerly a pizza place and changed hands numerous times before Ortega’s opened in that location. The Greenes are West Coast transplants who want to bring Baja California-style food to Eastern states, specifically the Ranson and Charles Town areas.

                
Before the grand opening of Ortega's, Natalie Greene was working two jobs. She graduated from Shepherd University with a degree in communication. She currently stays busy doing marketing for the business in addition to daily food preparation at Ortega's. Natalie said, “running a business has its ups and downs”. So far, business has been booming at Ortega’s. Natalie’s mother, Mave, said, “expenses can seem high, but it's worth it to have fresh food”.

               
 In the near future, the crew at Ortega’s would like to expand their business into catering. According to Natalie, their idea is to hire what they call a “Taco Lady”. Natalie said, “This person will bring her grill to events such as parties, graduations, and backyard barbecues to do all the cooking." They also sell their mouth-watering breakfast burritos at the Charles Town Farmer’s Markets on Saturdays during warmer months. This act alone generates more and more customers every week.

                
Ortega's is no stranger to social media. Natalie operates the Facebook page, Instagram, and Twitter with great success. The owners are proud to say that they have regular customers that come in on a weekly basis.

Ortega's is located at 211 S. Mildred St. in Ranson, WV and can be contacted at (304) 728-4321. Hours are from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and the restaurant is closed on Sundays.