Luis Madrid is everywhere. As the owner and operator of Lil’ Piggy’s Bar-B-Q and Coronado Coffee Company, you’ll find him behind the counter, making drinks, taking jokes from his team, and ringing up orders. In local Facebook groups, he promotes his businesses by engaging readers first with real-life anecdotes, then pitching afterward. Luis’ business strategy is to be playful and build a team that feels like a family. Undeniably, his plan is working, as Lil’ Piggy’s Bar-B-Q has continued to grow year after year since he took ownership in March 2020.
How to create culture
Culture is about who you hire and how you treat them, which then impacts how they serve customers. For Luis, this starts at the interview stage. “I never hire employees. I hire people who are going to be my family,” Luis says. “We’re going to have fun. Yes, it’s a business that we have to run. We want to make sure that everything’s done correctly. But at the same time, none of my employees hate coming to work. They never dread it. So, it’s awesome to see people coming into work and enjoying it. The way you treat your employees will definitely affect the customers and the fun.”
After spending many years managing in corporate restaurant settings, Luis knew his own business would be very different. “I never want to be corporate. I never want to be like, ‘You need to follow these steps, and say these things.’ Just be yourself. Our goal is to sell as much as we can. Our goal is to have people come back, and our goal is just to have fun.”
Luis loves to hear customers talk about silly arguments at the coffee cart and how the employees are having a good time. “I want people to say, ‘Yeah, I was at the coffee shop, they were having the dumbest argument, and it was the funniest thing. The coffee was great, but they just seem like they are having a good time at work.’ You don’t see that many people saying that.”
Replicating culture
What Luis created isn’t lucky. It’s a sustainable strategy. In addition to owning Lil’ Piggy’s Bar-B-Q, Luis also owns Coronado Coffee Company, which opened its second location in Point Loma in December 2025.
When asked how he decided this was the right time to grow the coffee business, Luis retorts with a laugh, “How do you decide when you want to have a kid?” He elaborates, “It just happened. The landlord was having lunch at Lil’ Piggy’s. He loved it. He loved the atmosphere and the ambiance that we had. He introduced himself to me, and he goes, ‘You own the coffee shop as well? How would you like a location in Point Loma?’ Obviously, I couldn’t do that one by myself. I have a partner, my friend, and a tattoo artist: Esteban Benitez. So that helps out a lot, and it’s been great.”
When Luis calls it great, he’s not being subjective. He shares that he received notice that Coronado Coffee Company in Point Loma won Best of Point Loma 2026 in three categories: Best New Restaurant, Best Coffee Shop, and Best Acai Bowl. The official results will be shared this fall. “It was cool to be nominated with only having been open four months, let alone win. So it was awesome that we won. The love in Point Loma has been awesome.”
Running three successful businesses with care
On running multiple concepts, Luis says, “It definitely keeps me focused, and I enjoy it. I have a Kobe Bryant mentality: The job is never done. Even though we’re ‘successful,’ I still feel like we have so much more to do. We’re always learning, we’re always pushing ourselves. So having two different concepts helps me focus on one very well, then focus on the other.”
Joining the team is Luis’ son, Luis, who recently graduated from college. “He’s going to help me out a lot with Lil’ Piggy’s Bar-B-Q. I’m excited for that. Sometimes I don’t have time to get the little things done, like we need to get the new chairs, and we need to change the logo on something. He’s going to be able to change all these and make it even better.”
Luis calls working with his son one of the best experiences of his life. “When he started working for me during the pandemic, he couldn’t reach the food. Now he’s 5’10″. He’s literally like me; he thinks like me, so he gets it. I’m so excited. He’s very excited to be more hands-on.”
Scaling the businesses without upsetting the culture
The growth isn’t slowing down. “We’re getting opportunities to open another barbecue, but we’re also getting hit up a lot for coffee. Who knows what might happen in a few months? We’ve been asked to do all these great things, so it’s amazing!”
Luis is very mindful of scaling and keeping the same culture at new locations. “As long as we keep our minds focused and we maintain our ambition, we’ll be fine. I don’t want to be a Better Buzz. I don’t want to be a Starbucks. I like working in my shops. That’s more important to be in the shops than being outside.”
Luis shares that he is currently taking this phone interview from the Point Loma location and gives an insight into that team. “We come in, we laugh, we do good jobs, they ask questions, and we do inventory. They make fun of me, which shows they’re not scared of me. I’m excited about the extended family that we have.”
Menu
Equally as important as creating a good culture is a good product. “We have a new rib sandwich that’s been going very well. We have an overloaded potato that’s almost five pounds. We also have our rib tacos and kettle sauce that we make.” Lil’ Piggy’s Bar-B-Q promotes family packages that feed between five and six people. You can either enjoy it at the restaurant or pick it up and take it home, or even grab it for Concert in the Park. Along with the meal, Lil’ Piggy’s Bar-B-Q offers 100 different locally crafted beers, wine, and seltzer. Luis has also seen an uptick in catering options.
Lil’ Piggy’s has vegetarians covered with their jackfruit options, available as a sandwich, taco, or plate. “We smoke it, we rub it. We treat it like our pork, and people love it.” Luis laughs. “Sometimes they come back saying, ‘I think you gave me real meat.’”
Giving back: local organizations and local hires
Luis gives back to the community in several ways. One organization is Designing Dreams. “We do an end-of-the-summer barbecue at the restaurant, and we kick back 20% of our sales. I personally donate to them as well.”
In addition, Lil’ Piggy’s Bar-B-Q has donated to the Coronado football team, Coronado cheerleaders, and more. “People hit me up, and we always say yes to our donations. I feel like I’m Donkey from the Shrek movie, who’s just walking, he’s saying yes to everything, that’s me. I’m happy I’m able to help.”
Most of Luis’s staff is local. At his Ferry Landing business, that means CHS students and graduates. In Point Loma, that means Point Loma High School and Point Loma Nazarene students.
An Entrepreneurial Award is a scholarship program for Coronado High School students that Luis established 20 years ago.
Luis’ favorite orders
One of the best parts of being a restaurateur? Enjoying the delicious food. Luis’ current favorite barbecue order is ribs. “I love our ribs. Right now, I’m a huge fan of rib tacos. I had them on Saturday. They’re so awesome.”
People who know Luis know that he is, ironically, allergic to coffee. But he does have favorite recommendations for his customers. “My favorite to make is a sea salt honey latte. If you’re looking for something sweeter, a coconut white mocha. That’s a very popular one. We call it the ‘Irish Potato’ because it’s coconut white mocha and cinnamon, can’t go wrong with that.”
Specialty lattes at Coronado Coffee Company are the cereal drinks. “For the Cocoa Puffs Latte, we infuse real milk with cereal, and we also have the Cinnamon Toast Latte, in which we also do that. We run out quickly, and it takes about three hours to make. So once we’re out, we’re out. We have to let the cereal sit in the milk, and it’s a long process, but that’s been very popular.”
In general, Luis understands that his business model is not for everyone. “People will think it’s an orthodox way of doing it, but I like the way I do, and I’m never gonna change it.”
Stop by and see Luis at Coronado Coffee Company and Lil’ Piggy’s Bar-B-Q at the Ferry Landing.
