Navigating the COVID-19 Crisis: A Small Business Story
Pilar Guzman Zavala was still beaming with energy and excitement having just returned from an airport conference in Denver in early March. Her small business, HalfMoon Empanadas, was preparing to expand nationally, and the interest at the large tradeshow was “amazing.”
But what seemed like overnight, she and her co-founder and husband, Juan Zavala, were soon confronting a new reality: COVID-19. It was shocking and heartbreaking to temporarily close all but one of their 13 locations in Miami, which include two Miami International Airport locations, multiple campus locations at University of Miami and Florida International University and five coffee kiosks at Miami Beach Convention Center. They were looking at zero sales for who really knows how many months. Only their walk-up window on NE 79th Street is currently open for takeout and deliveries.
