Wednesday, July 2, 2025

Restaurant owner breaks down as he tell staff there’s no more money

The Covid-19 pandemic continues to take its toll on the economy, inevitably hitting low-wage earners and small businesses the hardest.

Yesterday it left a Sonora restaurant owner in tears for being forced to choose between continuing to pay his employees and saving his business.

Ramón Sesma Coronado employs 80 people in his two Chiltepinos restaurants and family-owned accounting firm in Hermosillo, but being forced to limit service to take-out and delivery has tanked his monthly sales to just 0.5% of what they were before the pandemic.

“It pains my heart to tell you all that this is the last time I’ll be able to pay you,” he says in a video posted to Facebook. With tears in his eyes he tells them that “it would be impossible to continue doing so because when this is all over … you’re not going to have a company to come back to.”

He sits at what appears to be a table at one of his restaurants, wearing latex gloves and a face mask, seemingly too emotional to look directly into the camera for much of the 14-minute video.

“Being a businessman in Mexico is one of the most afflicted and painful professions. You risk your capital, you take out loans, you mortgage your properties or what little you have, and you risk it all for a dream, to give people jobs,” he tells his employees.

Sesma, 50, expressed sadness at seeing 30 years of hard work come crumbling down in a matter of weeks, an event that he interprets as “a sign from God for us to wake up, because we were asleep.”

He must still cover expenses such as taxes, social security and electricity despite having almost no revenue coming in, a situation he describes as “unsustainable.”

He made a direct appeal to his employees toward the end of his discourse, asking them “What do I do? What do you all want me to do with the last bit of money I’ve got left? Should I pay taxes and social security, or should I pay you?

“These tears are not tears of weakness, they are of rage, of frustration. … If I keep running out of what I’ve got, you aren’t going to have anywhere to return to.”

Source: El Universal (sp)

Have something to say? Paid Subscribers get all access to make & read comments.
cleared strip of forest land

Profepa shuts down 7 properties after illegal operations destroy 2,600 hectares of forest

0
In Campeche, Yucatán and Quintana Roo, Profepa found swaths of pristine forest that had been leveled for monoculture farming in areas where Mennonite populations have been expanding.
An aerial view of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, showcasing its dense urban landscape and iconic architectural landmarks under a bright, clear sky. In the foreground, vibrant green trees partially obscure the view. The colonial-era city is characterized by warm, earthy tones like ochre, terracotta, and cream. Prominently featured in the midground is the Parroquia de San Miguel Arcángel, a striking neo-Gothic church with a pinkish-orange facade and towering spires.

MND Local: San Miguel de Allende July news roundup

0
Catch up with San Miguel de Allende's local news for July as the city beefs up security, raises bus fares and gears up for a week-long culture festival.
Mexico's budget deficit

Mexico slashes budget deficit by US $8.5B as tax collection surges 8.9%

12
A 38.4% boost in revenue from import taxes and a 5.3% decrease in public spending from January-May helped to majorly reduce Mexico's budget deficit.