The following article was originally written in November 2021, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first thing guests hear as they enter Alexander’s World Famous Tortas is the jingle of the old-fashioned shopkeeper’s bell.

The second is the music.

Alexander’s, located at 937 East Rosecrans Ave in the city of Compton, is a rock ‘n’ roll-themed torta joint.

Dine-in guests can expect to hear rock radio regulars such as WAR, Ramones, Blondie and The Beatles.

Posters, framed photos and album covers decorate the walls throughout the dining area.

On Tuesdays, the outdoor patio becomes a stage where local bands perform.

There is no shortage of things to look at, from Debbie Harry goofing for the camera to a portrait of Herman and Lily Munster.

Besides the pick-up counter, a painting showcases Mexican comedic superhero “El Chapulin Colorado.”

Alexander’s World Famous Tortas is the brainchild of co-owners Omar “Alexander” Hernandez and Angelina Rodriguez, a married couple who first met in 2008.

With an emphasis on rock ‘n’ roll, family and quality Mexican food, Alexander’s is uniquely them.

The family has worked hard since the restaurant’s debut in 2013 to make their torta shop a must for both foodie and music fans and they insist COVID-19 is just another obstacle they will overcome.

The path that led them here first began with Flores’ father, Raul Flores.

Alexander’s has been open for nine years, “but my dad has had this location going on 20 years, it’s just that back then he did seafood [catering],” Flores said.

It was during this period, before Alexander’s, that the couple met. Of course, they met at a music show.

“A friend invited me to a show and just told me we were going to get picked up,” Rodriguez said. “He was sitting in the back seat and we just ended up talking the whole night.”

That was 2008. In 2013 Raul Flores came to his son and his now daughter-in-law with a proposition.

“My dad asked me how about getting more involved in the family business,” Flores said. “At first, it wasn’t something I wanted to pursue because I didn’t feel cooking was my desire. But I brought in the whole concept of the rock n’ roll theme.”

The family shut down their seafood catering business and set to work. Raul focused his attention on handcrafting their new restaurant’s menu, settling on the Mexican staple sandwich, the torta.

Meanwhile, the couple focused on the theme of their restaurant.

“His dad said if you’re going to open it, make it your own,” Rodriguez said.

Flores, a musician himself, knew he wanted rock music to be a central theme. Besides the aesthetic, the couples organized a weekly open mic for local bands.

The hard work paid off. Their carefully crafted menu and open mic nights created such a stir that they began garnering attention.

“When the L.A. Times came to the restaurant, it did blow up for a few weeks, but then the lockdown happened right after,” Flores said.

COVID-19 interrupted their momentum and would bring new challenges, but also some unforeseen support.

“We had to kill our walk-ins actually because we had the door closed,” Flores said. “We were only taking orders from the window, to be safe. We didn’t really want anyone coming in.”

Forced to shutter their doors, in-house sales dwindled and the ever-important open mic nights stopped.

“There was fear for the business,” Flores said. “Even right now there are so many businesses going out, so we were worried about that.”

With a loss of in-store traffic, online delivery service orders started increasing, becoming their saving grace.

“The first few weeks [and] months the indoor [sales] stopped completely, but that’s when our tablets blew up. Uber, DoorDash, PostMates, GrubHub, all that delivery stuff,” Rodriguez said.

The halt of the open mic nights was a major blow to Flores. In his eyes, the music had always been as important as the food.

“The main negative impact I felt was when we couldn’t do events inside,” Flores said. “My dad [told me] since we own the patio just do it outdoors It helped but it was a weird transition.”

Now looking toward the future, Flores and Rodriguez muse on what will happen next for Alexander’s and their family.

“It brought us closer. But we were used to it, you know,” Flores said. “I think other couples were not used to seeing each other all the time. But to us it was just another day, we were already always together.”

The couple have been together a long time, and besides the fate of the restaurant they have new responsibilities to their growing family.

“Two kids later,” Rodriguez added with a smile. “A 12-year-old and a 5-year-old.”

While the pandemic is not over, the couple feels confident that they have survived the worst of it. There is real pride in knowing COVID-19 could not defeat their dream and their family and they are eager to get back to their normal life, keeping their focus on family, food and music.

“Music is everything. It’s everything. You have a good day you put on a certain song. You have a bad day when you put on a certain song. Music is a big part of our lives,” Rodriguez said.

Flores looks toward his partner, both in business and in life, and they survey the restaurant they have built and kept afloat together.

“At first we didn’t take it as seriously, we were younger so we were immature. I think now that we’re older we kind of see this as our kids’ future,” Flores said. “We own the property now, and we work together because we love each other and we love our kids.”

Editor’s note:

Various grammatical and AP style errors were corrected on May 31, 2022 at 12:36 p.m. 

Various corrections were made to fix photo caption and correct date issues on June 1, 2022 at 11:21 a.m.