Today we’d like to introduce you to Patricia Catallo Lopez.
Hi Patricia, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I am Italian American and grew up in Los Angeles. My grandparents immigrated from Italy in the 1920s. They started out in New Jersey, made their way to Detroit and eventually Los Angeles when my dad got out of the service. They made their way up from basically nothing to a very profitable family career in Construction. He instilled in me a very strong work ethic from the beginning. I was always very successful in school and he encouraged me to take a solid job in a profession where I would never have trouble finding work because he never wanted me to struggle like he did. I became an Accountant and also helped manage his company, which evolved into Investments and Property Management. I did this for about 15 years and realized that I had it in me to do way more than a 9 to 5 job for someone else’s company. I continue to run his company, but I wanted something for myself… a Passion Project, as they say.
In 2018, I took a birthday trip with my husband to Miami, one of my favorite cities in the US! After college, I went with my girlfriends and we rented a car and drove through the Keys, which was an amazingly beautiful experience and one that I knew my husband would enjoy. When we were in Key West, I spotted this beautiful red building (my favorite color), and saw the sign “Better Than Sex” and googled it immediately. A Dessert Restaurant?!
We went to dinner first and our server asked us if we wanted dessert and I told her that we were planning to go to Better Than Sex. She raved about it and told us we had to try the Fever dessert, not even trying to sell their desserts to make us stay. I fell in love with everything about it. The ambiance, the desserts were amazing, the drinks with dripping chocolate on the rims, the entire concept! It was as if it came out of my dreams and into real life.
On the drive back to Miami, I couldn’t stop talking about it and wishing we had something like that in LA. I’m sure I would’ve known about it, but I googled and of course nothing. Just the usual order from the counter cupcakeries, gourmet ice cream establishments, and “famous” cake locations. I went to the Better Than Sex website and there was a huge red button that said: “inquire about franchising opportunities”. My husband and I discussed it on the rest of the drive back to Miami and decided to look into it when we got back to LA. It’s been an amazing and exciting journey since then. We encountered a few obstacles (mainly COVID, as anyone in the restaurant can attest to) but pushed through and I am both thrilled and proud that we will be opening our doors this month.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has not been exactly smooth!! There was the pandemic, which for sure was devastating on so many more important levels for everyone. The restaurant industry particularly has been hit pretty hard, so needless to say, getting off the ground has not been easy! Also, in the early days of the pandemic, I lost my father (not due to COVID-19). He was my rock and helped me in all things business. I am very sad that he was not able to see my dream come to fruition, but I at least had been able to share it with him before he passed so he could offer his wisdom and at least know what the future could potentially hold for me.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I was an accountant for 15 years before I decided to enter the restaurant business. I am definitely a people person, so I’m not sure that path was the best one for me, but it for sure prepared me for the business side of things in any endeavor.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I know that a lot of people thought at the beginning of the pandemic that the restaurant industry would take a big hit and be changed forever. Sadly, a lot of restaurateurs did have to prematurely cut their dreams short, but hopefully, they are able to regroup and come back stronger! For the ones that were able to hold on, and ones like myself who are just embarking on the process, I think will be successful, as we all had to think outside of the box and explore different avenues to remain on top of the game. And now that the world is opening up again, I think it’s going to be like the roaring 20s all over again, with people wanting to get out there and celebrate and let off steam from being cooped up and stressed out for so long!
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: www.betterthansexdesserts.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/betterthansexla/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BetterThanSexLA
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/betterthansex69
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/better-than-sex-a-dessert-restaurant-los-angeles-west-hollywood?osq=better+than+sex
