Anna Gomez and Deborah Rios were the best of friends before deciding to become business partners.

Friendship and business don’t always mix but this is a partnership that works. Gomez is a banker by profession and manages a branch bank in north McAllen. Rios is a teacher in Edinburg who co-owns a business with her husband. They had previously bandied about the idea of someday going into business together. For Gomez, the time was right in 2022 to try a new endeavor.

“My kids had grown up,” she said. “It was a good time to start exploring.”

Anna went to her friend Deborah and pitched the general concept of going into business together. Rios was all in, quickly, as were their spouses, offering help in identifying the best opportunity for the two aspiring women entrepreneurs. Deciding what that should be in a retail and restaurant-saturated McAllen/Edinburg market wouldn’t be easy.

“We wanted something different,” Gomez said. “Something for families, a fun environment, a place that would be good for date nights too.”

Their lengthy research led to The Dolly Llama, a Los Angeles-based restaurant chain that was on the upswing after being launched in 2017. The Dolly Llama describes itself on its corporate website as being the “waffle master.” One of the company’s founders is a European restaurateur who had the concept of pairing ice cream with waffles and creating flavor combinations featuring fruits, syrups, sauces and cookie crumbs.

“It looked great but does it taste great?” Gomez recalled thinking after seeing images of The Dolly Llama menu items.

There was only one way to find out and that was to fly to California and see – and taste – for themselves.

“We interviewed them as much as they interviewed us,” Gomez recalled of talks with Dolly Llama management.

Each side liked what they heard and saw and eventually a plan was made. Gomez and Rios would open one of the first Dolly Llama restaurants in Texas by opening a store in McAllen.

Standing Out In The Crowd

The spot Gomez and Rios chose is high on traffic and activity while also being located in the midst of a crush of dining out choices.

The intersection of Trenton Road and 10th Street in north McAllen didn’t have much of a business presence 20 years ago beyond a McDonald’s and a few convenience stores. Today, that part of the city with fast-growing Edinburg coming up to its edge ranks among the Rio Grande Valley’s busiest retailing and commerce areas. It includes a bevy of big box stores, banks and restaurant choices, one after another. 

It goes to the confidence that Gomez and Rios had in their business acumen and the desirability of their waffle-and-ice cream store to go beyond being a typical dessert shop and become a destination. The shop has an aesthetic flair and design with artistic images on its walls. It’s a fun place for a date while also being family friendly. Their menu choices are unique ones in being the first Dolly Llama franchise in the Valley and South Texas, and features the many ways it combines waffles, fruits, cookies and sauces.

The shop opened in early March. The business partners are excited by the early successes and welcome they’ve received. They feel right at home in that sweet spot where McAllen and Edinburg converge and where they also happen to live and work.

“We wanted convenience for both of us,” Rios said. “This is a location where we have family and friends nearby to support us while we get the business established.”

Fun Of Partnership

Gomez, as a banker, has to analyze the prospects of clients and applicants as they seek loans and capital to start or build up an existing business. When asked if she used some of those same metrics and assessments with her own business startup, she smiled and said, “No, not really, this is something I’ve always wanted to do.”

To operate a business with such a good friend is added plus and her partner in the operation feels the same way.

“It’s a learning process. We’re still educating ourselves,” Rios said in true teacher fashion. “Anna is the type of person you want to partner with in starting a business. When she asked, I said, ‘Let’s do it.’”

The Dolly Llama Waffle Master shop is located at 7600 N. 10th Street, Suite 800L at the Trenton Crossing Shopping Center.