Rafael and Cesar Santillan are natives of Bolivia who, together with their wives,  Guisela and Sylvia, came to the Dayton area. Rafael and Guisela came here during 2002 and Cesar and Sylvia during 2004. They had the concept of opening a restaurant here with a small menu of Bolivian specialties, particularly their mother’s marinated rotisserie chicken. They contacted Dayton SCORE for help to implement their concept.
Their initial meeting was with members John Huston and Giff Solem at which time their business model was explored for viability and possible
locations for their restaurant were analyzed.
After a location was chosen in Miamisburg near the Dayton Mall, a second meeting covered such matters as zoning, permits, and licenses. Subsequent meetings involved perusal of the facility, selecting suppliers, marketing, menu enhancement, and other operational issues.
The Santillan brothers opened their restaurant, Nelly’s Chicken, in early 2006. They run the business while their wives handle the kitchen. The restaurant enjoyed near immediate success. A popular Dayton restaurant critic gave Nelly’s Chicken a very favorable review as the area’s first and only Bolivian restaurant, with interesting and tasty dishes.
Rafael offers the following: “Giff Solem was invaluable to us in helping us refine our business idea and taking us through the many steps in setting up the business correctly. We will continue to seek his guidance and counsel. Thank you Dayton SCORE!”
By the way, Giff lives in Miamisburg and is a regular Nelly’s Chicken customer. |
