{"id":27363,"date":"2021-04-12T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-12T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/goebt.com\/merchant-spotlight-sr-cliffs-texas-style-burritos\/"},"modified":"2025-04-01T09:45:51","modified_gmt":"2025-04-01T13:45:51","slug":"merchant-spotlight-sr-cliffs-texas-style-burritos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goebt.com\/merchant-spotlight-sr-cliffs-texas-style-burritos\/","title":{"rendered":"Merchant Snapshot: Sr. Cliff’s Texas Style Burritos"},"content":{"rendered":"

50 Years and Counting in the Food Industry<\/h2>\n

goEBT EBT processing<\/a> merchant Sr. Cliff\u2019s Texas Style Burritos, home of the original Soul Man burrito<\/span>, has been providing Afro-Mexican fusion food to the Compton community since 1992<\/span>. However, the story of this community staple actually began in 1969<\/span>, when founder and co-owner Cliff Williams arrived in California.<\/p>\n

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Originally from Texas, Cliff started his 50-year tenure in the food industry<\/span> with Weber\u2019s Bread Company and Oroweat Bread Company in Los Angeles. In 1972<\/span>, Cliff decided to open a record shop in Compton called Soul \u2018N Deed Records.<\/p>\n

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Before opening Sr. Cliff\u2019s, Cliff Williams owned a convenience store and a supermarket in Compton. This newspaper article highlights Cliff\u2019s c-store and the grand opening of his full-service grocery store in 1979.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In 1975<\/span>, Cliff opened The Little Store, a mom-and-pop convenience store<\/span>. Cliff brought his family members from Houston<\/span> to help him run the store, including his mother, \u201cMs. Lillian,\u201d his sisters, Barbara and Penny, and his brothers, Michael, John and Kenny. This neighborhood that had never seen a young Black man own anything now witnessed a Black family of business owners working together. It may have been called The Little Store, but it had a huge impact.<\/p>\n

Cliff then opened a 5,500-square-foot, full-service supermarket<\/span> on Wilmington Avenue in Compton in 1979<\/span>. Employing young people from the neighborhood and his family, the business thrived until it was met with insurmountable refrigeration problems and closed.<\/p>\n

Eventually, Cliff decided to buy a hot dog cart and sell $1 hot dogs. With the success of the first cart, he bought two more and then opened a brick-and-mortar location in Los Angeles near Centennial High School.<\/p>\n

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Before opening Sr. Cliff\u2019s, Cliff Williams owned a convenience store and a supermarket in Compton. This newspaper article highlights Cliff\u2019s c-store and the grand opening of his full-service grocery store in 1979.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Finally, in 1992<\/span>, Cliff sold his Los Angeles restaurant and opened a soul food restaurant in Compton. As the community and culture of Compton changed, Cliff wanted to connect the Black and Latino communities<\/span> through fusion food. A new Afro-Mexican fusion restaurant was born: Sr. Cliff\u2019s Texas Style Burritos.<\/p>\n

Sr. Cliff\u2019s, as it is affectionately referred to by customers, is an essential part of the Compton community<\/span> because they are located in a family-oriented neighborhood<\/span> within close proximity of John F. Kennedy Elementary School, Walton Middle School and Compton High School.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is important to us to be able to provide hot meals and great tasting food at reasonable prices<\/span> to the parents, teachers and children who live and work in our service area,\u201d said co-owner Delores Williams, wife of Cliff Williams.<\/p>\n

A Decade of Accepting SNAP Benefits<\/h2>\n

Sr. Cliff\u2019s has been accepting EBT payments since 2010<\/span> through the California Restaurant Meals Program<\/a>. This program allows eligible homeless, disabled and\/or elderly EBT recipients to use their CalFresh SNAP benefits<\/span> to purchase hot, prepared food from participating restaurants. While not the majority of their sales, a lot of the surrounding community relies on EBT<\/span> to receive nutritious food on a regular basis.<\/p>\n

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Accepting SNAP benefits, cash and credit card payments, Sr. Cliff\u2019s offers over 50 options for their customers, including their most famous item, the Soul Man Burrito.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now, customers from outside of the Compton community<\/span> have started to frequent the restaurant to redeem their SNAP benefits: \u201cAs we\u2019ve grown and the word has gotten out about the food and service, we\u2019ve had customers from outside of our community come to taste our food. We even got the word out on the KJLH radio station in Los Angeles, which has increased our reach in attracting EBT customers<\/span>,\u201d said co-owner Cliff Williams.<\/p>\n

In 2015, the quick-serve restaurant turned to goEBT\u2019s EBT processing solutions<\/a> to help grow their business further. Co-owners Cliff and Delores Williams especially enjoy goEBT\u2019s fast solutions<\/span> and excellent service<\/span>: \u201cIt\u2019s been a great situation for us, bringing EBT to our business. Working with goEBT for the past few years has made things easier because they don\u2019t miss a beat when assisting their customers<\/span>. After I talked to customer service, goEBT sent out our payment terminal the next day<\/span>!\u201d commended Delores Williams.<\/p>\n

Adapting to COVID-19<\/h2>\n

As an essential source of nutritious food<\/span>, Sr. Cliff\u2019s has been fortunate enough to have a staff that agreed to continue serving their community during the COVID-19 pandemic. \u201cAccepting SNAP payments<\/span> has allowed us to continue to serve our local community<\/span> and maintain our sales<\/span>. We\u2019ve made a special effort to make sure that our menu, prices and service accommodate the local community that relies on EBT<\/span>,\u201d said Cliff and Delores Williams.<\/p>\n

To adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sr. Cliff\u2019s also made a special effort to make sure that the restaurant was safe for the local community: \u201cWe want to create a safe environment<\/span> at our restaurant for our staff, suppliers and customers,\u201d said Cliff Williams. Customers and staff are required to social distance and wear masks<\/span>, and an online ordering program<\/span> was also launched so that customers could pick up their orders when ready.<\/p>\n

Using their goEBT COUNTERTOP terminal<\/a>, Sr. Cliff\u2019s also launched a curbside service program<\/span> to continue serving their customers safely during the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n

\u201cAccepting SNAP payments <\/strong>has allowed us to continue to serve our local community<\/strong> and maintain our sales. <\/strong>We\u2019ve made a special effort to make sure that our menu, prices and service accommodate the local community that relies on EBT.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n

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Since 2015, Sr. Cliff\u2019s has used goEBT\u2019s EBT processing to accept SNAP payments. Co-owners Cliff and Delores Williams accept EBT to fulfill the need for nutritious food for their community.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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So far, curbside service has worked well for Sr. Cliff\u2019s, and they plan to continue curbside service after the pandemic is over<\/span>: \u201cIf you look at major chains with drive-throughs, getting as many people in and out as safely and quickly as possible seems to be the new business model<\/span>,\u201d said Delores Williams.<\/p>\n

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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sr. Cliff\u2019s has also partnered with agencies<\/span> such as the Latino Chamber of Commerce of Compton to give away food, clothing, safety supplies and toys to help their community during this unusual and unprecedented time. \u201cIt\u2019s tough right now for everyone. If there is any way that we can help our community, we want to help,\u201d said Cliff Williams.<\/p>\n

When asked about the donation drives, Cliff and Delores Williams excitedly described how these drive-in events are always quite popular with the community<\/span> and have started to attract high quality donations for those in need. Using the Sr. Cliff\u2019s parking lot, people line up in their cars to receive donations from their fellow neighbors.<\/p>\n

From the beginning, Sr. Cliff\u2019s has been about uniting the Compton community<\/span> with great food and a neighborly atmosphere. After 30 years, the restaurant continues to exhibit this philosophy through community service<\/span>, affordable food<\/span> and excellent service<\/span>.<\/p>\n

We would like to thank the Williams family for sharing their story with us, and we are excited to see how their business continues to grow in the future.<\/p>\n

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Follow Sr. Cliff\u2019s on social media or visit their website!<\/p>\n

Sr. Cliff’s Texas Style Burritos <\/a>
\n srcliffsburritos<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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