El Paso
Mexican franchises fleeing escalating drug violence enter new market across the border
With much of the world focused on economic indicators, Juárez, Mexico, is experiencing trends of a grislier sort: Decapitations, arson, and homicide are all part of daily life in one of the world’s most dangerous cities.
Juárez’s drug war, which has claimed more than 1,000 lives in 2009, has ravaged the restaurant industry and sent franchises north into El Paso, Texas, to escape violence and extortion.
“There’s crazy people burning restaurants over there and they try to get money from the restaurants and bars,” says Antonio Rodriguez, general manager of one of the two Barrigas Restaurant locations in El Paso. Arson is a common punishment in Juárez if a restaurant refuses protection from drug cartels. As a result, Rodriguez sold his house and moved his family to El Paso in search of security.
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