After years working in finer dining establishments such as Emilio’s, where he started as a busboy at 15 years old, and Toma, which he helped open in 2013, David Medina quit his coveted role as bar manager at Loquita to open a new State Street restaurant earlier this year. Then the pandemic hit, leaving the Goleta native with no job but plenty of time to plot his next move.
Though Medina had a film degree from the Art Institute in North Hollywood and once premiered a short film at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, food was still the obvious choice. Not only had he built a career in restaurants, but as Medina explained, “Hospitality practically runs in our blood.” His brother, Alejandro Medina, co-owns Bibi Ji on State Street, while their mom’s first cousin Isodoro Gonzalez founded and owns the famous La Super-Rica Taqueria on Milpas.
On July 3, just two weeks after deciding what to do, Medina launched Better Burrito, a breakfast burrito delivery service that also sells lunch and dinner burritos wholesale to a number of markets, bars, and cafés around town. “Making burritos is nuts,” said Medina, when comparing the concept to his sit-down restaurant experience. “But sitting on the couch wondering what you’re gonna do is even more nuts.”