A funeral home in Escondido recently rebranded its image to appeal more to Latino customers.
Funeraria Del Angel McLeod, formerly McLeod Morturary, now offers 24-hour wakes and a kitchen to better cater to Latino funerals. These funerals are typically more elaborate and expensive, the North County Times reports.
Many predict that the mortuary’s change will positively impact their business, even though it drove away regular Caucasian customers. Escondido’s Latino population more than doubled in the past 20 years, and Latinos typically spend more on individual funerals, realtor Maria Bowman told the NCT.
If Funeraria Del Angel McLeod continues to grow, Escondido may see more of the same type of businesses, said Escondido Councilwoman Olga Diaz.
"This is the first Escondido business to rename itself to avoid being intimidating to Latinos,” Diaz told the NCT. "It seems like it would make sense for other businesses to consider changes."
Other businesses nearby tried to create a similar appeal to the growing Latino population in Escondido, but say Latinos are skeptical of the sudden changes, and may view them as gimmicks.
"I think we'll see more businesses do it, but they're going to have to do a lot more than make small changes if they want to earn the loyalty and good will of the Hispanic community."
