During high school, this is the period when most students experience getting their first paying job. Many work fast food, grocery stores, or even as servers, but senior Jordan Durret decided to go a different route by making and selling homemade burritos. Selling them for $5, he started by selling to football players, then expanded to everyone with his burritos getting the nickname “Durrito’s.”
When running a business in school, it is often hard to get started on one’s own. Many factors come into play with money, supplies, and promotion. For Jordan, it was easier to get started, as many students started recognizing his burritos before he started selling them.
“I started making them for my lunch, and then people started asking if they could buy it off of me,” Jordan said. “I would often laugh and tell them no, but I soon realized it wouldn’t be a bad idea.”
While prepping the burritos all by himself, he faced some trial and error when making food for people to enjoy. He asked himself: What do people like? What do people not like? He said it is hard to tell what makes them successful and what doesn’t. Jordan has tried many different options to see what people would end up liking overall.
“I used to sell them with hot sauce, but people were buying them less because I had to raise the price,” Jordan said.
As he talked about how good his burritos were spread around, he gained more regular buyers. Students and even teachers were hoping to buy his burritos daily.
“His burritos have the perfect amount of potato in them,” assistant band director Matthew Assis said.
While Jordan is preparing and selling burritos, there is a cause behind it. Many school programs host costly opportunities for students. Without a job and balancing sports, academics, and extracurricular activities, Jordan saw the best route to raising money throughout the school day.
“I started selling candy sophomore year to raise money for the Europe trip, but this year I am raising money for the band’s musicians’ abroad trip,” Jordan said.
From starting with candy and building his way up to his own personal food items, Jordan has successfully found consistency in his business. Buying the ingredients himself, he spends the extra time as he has to prepare these burritos for his constant customers.
“I would buy his burritos every day if I could,” senior Tyler Wells said. “They fill you up all day, which makes them worth the price.”
Jordan has spent two years selling and raising money to help support the activities he is involved in. With many hours and obstacles in his way, he is proud to say that, in the end, it is always worth it.
“I wouldn’t be able to do what I wanted to without all of the work I put into it,” Jordan said. “I love being able to sell my food and support my goals.”
