Yona Redz on Santa Barbara’s lower State Street won $50,000 from DoorDash in the food-delivery company’s Restaurant Cash Giveaway, which selected one restaurant from Carpinteria to Isla Vista for the prize in early December.
Jonathan “Yona” Estrada, owner, chef, and chief bottle washer at the restaurant — well-known for its savory birria and rich quesatacos — expressed surprise that he’d won: ”It’s not every day you see a local business like mine celebrated in this way,“ said Estrada. “This check will go a long way.”
The restaurant opened in November 2020 and quickly gained a following despite the ongoing pandemic. This was in part through delivery services like DoorDash, a company that sprouted in 2012 in Silicon Valley.
“We’re thrilled to award Yona, a first-time restaurant owner who opened Yona Redz during the pandemic, with $50,000 to continue growing his beloved local business in Santa Barbara,” said Ryan Mosher, regional sales manager for DoorDash. According to the company, the DoorDash Marketplace generated $50 million in sales and its delivery force, known as Dashers, earned nearly $20 million, including tips, in Santa Barbara County from January-September 2023.