Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Nazareth continues to study, working on a Master's degree in Business Counselling as
well as running the Soda and doing accounting. It's a delicate juggling act!
“I have a working team for which I'm grateful because they have been my right hand,”
Nazareth admits. “Generally all positions that are in the kitchen and the girls that work out-
side don't rotate a lot. The girls and the women working here have been with me many
years.” Some of the staff at the Soda have been there as long as Nazareth, and the rest not
much less. “They are the Soda's motor,” she says, “they are the ones that keep everything
going. La Soda Come Bien is teamwork that has been built through time. I'm very grateful
for these girls because, since I also work in my accounting profession and I don't have
enough time to dedicate to the Soda, so I depend a lot on them.”
A key member of the team is Martita, the administrator who has been with Nazareth
from the start. “Many clients identify the Soda with Martita,” she says. “She is the admin-
istrator in charge and a very valuable woman.”
Nazareth needs a good team to manage such a popular business with such a variety
of dishes. “I always say that Soda Come Bien has the biggest menu in all of Quepos,” she
jokes. “If I even see the menu, I would get scared!” The food is mostly traditional Costa
Rican fare, with gallo pinto, casados and picadillo featuring prominently.
“We also have a dish of the day,” she adds, “which is at a very affordable price of 2000
colones ($4.00); it's a whole meal with a soft-drink.” It's an affordable and filling meal that
has proven popular alongside the traditional foods and more imported menu items. “Basic-
ally we can play around with the menu. There are also hamburgers, hot dogs, tacos, but our
strength is making breakfast and lunch.” Although not a trained chef, Nazareth does enjoy
cooking at home and is tentatively experimenting with the idea of contributing to the menu
herself. “I like to cook a lot. I don't have a lot of time to cook but I like making pastries.
Right now, I'm thinking about making them to bring to the Soda to sell.”
Tica Maria Chinchilla Raymond divides her time between living in Quepos and Alt-
lanta, Georgia. “Come Bien makes the best Olla de Carne!” This hearty beef soup with
vegetables is a local favorite. “I like enjoying a meal at an outdoor table with my husband
right after we get here because when you want people to know you're in town, everyone
will pass by sooner or later and greet you.”
Local massage therapist Todd Pequeen likes the Olla de Carne as well and the con-
venience when he has a packed schedule. “It's quick, consistent and reasonably priced.”
Nazareth is a Quepos local, born and raised here. She likes the fact that nearly two
thirds of her customers are locals. “They are people that live here and in the surrounding
farms, families that once a month leave their farms and come here with their little ones. It's
a tradition for them to come to La Soda Come Bien. It's like a pit stop for many people.
It's very common to see people that have been coming to this Soda for fifteen or twenty
years.” The regular local patrons aren't her only customers though, and she enjoys meeting
the many tourists who also come by La Soda Come Bien for an authentic Quepos experi-
