A New Mexico institution offers chilli and patient care services
By Chris Linville
www.americaspharmacist.net November 2012 | america’s Pharmacist 17
If you are lookIng for some authentic
Southwestern fare, or a prescription, you might want
to consider a local favorite in Albuquerque, N.M. It’s
gained quite a following around the country, being
listed online on sites such as Yelp, Frommer’s, Fodor’s,
and Trip Advisor.
“The restaurant is really thriving,” says owner
Mona Ghattas. “When people are looking for genuine
New Mexican food, red and green chili, we pop up
quite a bit. Part of it is because we have been around
a long time, and a lot of old Albuquerque people are
familiar with us. Many kids grew up eating here, and
now their kids are eating here. So almost all of the locals
are familiar with us. They are very loyal customers. And
a lot of people who have moved away make it a point
to come by when they visit because they miss it. So we
have a big following.”
By the way, Ghattas also has an RPh next to her
name, and the popular restaurant is actually part of Duran
Central Pharmacy, an Albuquerque institution since 1942.
“We just try to do it all and have everything here so that
people don’t have to go another pharmacy for anything,”
she says. Among Duran Central’s patient care specialties
are compounded and custom-made prescriptions, bio-
identical hormone replacement consults and therapy,
vaccinations, medication management, blood pressure
checks, custom fittings for compression hosiery, and
medical supplies such as walkers and canes.
Ghattas’ description of the pharmacy’s other
offerings in its front end reflect a varied and eclectic mix.
These include imported men's shaving products, European
bath and body products, aromatherapy herbal remedies,
assorted food items, gourmet teas, more than 400 different
imported soaps, household goods, kitchen gadgets,
imported chocolates and candies, along with books,
magazines, cards, and journals.
“They can eat here, get their prescriptions filled,
and buy a birthday gift,” Ghattas says with a laugh.
Family LegacyThe pharmacy’s original owner was Pete Duran, and the
business went by the name Pete Durans. In 1965, Duran
decided to retire and sold the store to Ghattas’ father
Robert Ghattas.
Mona Ghattas says the pharmacy had a small
soda fountain. “My father found that the people who
came in there really liked the New Mexican chili the
cooks would make, so he started expanding on that.”
She says that the pharmacy eventually outgrew
its location, and in 1975 moved to a site on the famous
Route 66 in what is referred to as Old Town.
Ghattas, like her father, received her pharmacy
degree from the University of New Mexico. And like
many children of pharmacy owners, she practically grew
up at Duran Central.
“I’ve worked there literally since I was 5 years
old, dusting or bagging things, doing cashier work,
waitressing; you name it, I did everything,” she says.
Fill Your Bowl
Your PrescriPtion&
18 america’s Pharmacist | November 2012 www.americaspharmacist.net
“After becoming a pharmacist, I helped dad manage as
he took a step back. In 2010, he decided he wanted to
officially retire, so I decided to go ahead and purchase the
pharmacy from him.”
The pharmacy building is approximately
6,600-square-feet, including the restaurant, Ghattas says.
The pharmacy section is 4,440-square-foot, and she has
more than 30 employees. There are two pharmacists other
than Ghattas, and her father does some consulting. She has
three technicians, one intern, a delivery driver, and several
front end staff. The restaurant employs a number of wait
staff and cooks. She says the pharmacy dispenses between
250–300 prescriptions daily.
Running a large pharmacy could be daunting
enough alone. Being trained as a pharmacist and also
managing a restaurant seems even more challenging. But
Ghattas says things operate fairly smoothly.
“It helped that I grew up in the business,” she
says. “It also helped that I worked back there, I’ve done
literally every job in this establishment. My sister and
brother have restaurants, so they offer a lot of advice to
me as well. The people working in the restaurant have
been here a long time, so we sort of have a system back
there. It’s changed very little. It’s difficult as a pharmacist
to do that, but I have a lot of support staff that help
me. We bottle and ship our chili nationwide, so we
have another business on the side. All of the staff have
different areas where they help manage.”
UpgradesAfter taking over from her father, Ghattas says “A lot
of things were just habit. I’ve moved it forward in a
different area because pharmacy has been changing
drastically over the years. I’ve been making changes and
trying to update the store a bit.”
Ghattas says she’s always open to anything that
might help the business and enhance customer services.
For example, she says, “For years we had no credit cards
in our restaurant. But our customers demanded it so now
we have a wireless credit card machine, and everyone is
happy about that. So we’re not afraid to try new things.”
And speaking of technology, Ghattas says Duran
Central has always been on the leading edge.
“We were the first in the state to become
computerized [about 30 years ago],” she says. “We
approached the board of pharmacy, and said we wanted to
have them. We were the first pharmacy that was approved
for computers. We were even before Walgreens. It was kind
of unusual that an independent started before a chain.”
Not surprisingly, Duran central has a point-
of-sale system, signature pads, and is heavily active in
e-prescribing. “We do more of that compared to faxes in
terms of communications with providers,” she says. “We
do a lot more e-prescriptions than faxes.”
OutreachGhattas takes pride in Duran Central’s efforts in
community outreach programs. It collaborates with the
health department on a drug addiction program using
Suboxone treatment. The pharmacy also works with a local
hospital to assist patients who can’t afford their drugs.
“We help by delivering and trying to meet their
needs,” she says. “It’s basically a traveling department of
The pharmacy specializes in compounding and the restaurant
is famous for its red and green chili, bottled and shipped
nationwide. (Photo courtesy of Mona Ghattas)
www.americaspharmacist.net November 2012 | america’s Pharmacist 19
health. We go and visit different high schools and provide
health care services to [students] on the pharmaceutical
side. If the schools have students who can’t afford
medicines or health care, they [health care providers]
see them at the school, and sometimes they will send the
student to our pharmacy to pick up medications.”
Ghattas says that Duran Central is big on
continuing education and lifelong learning. She says that
the staff—whether it’s pharmacists, technicians, or front-
end—receive training and attend classes on a regular
basis to enhance their skills. Another way to expand the
pharmacy’s learning curve is through participating in
drug trials.
“We’re very pro-education in our pharmacy,”
Ghattas says. “We try very hard to really be on top of
what’s new out there, and what’s going on. It provides a
lot of patient contact, which we like doing. Sometimes in
the pharmacy we get stuck behind the counter counting
and pouring and we never get to use our talent. In the
drug studies we come across a lot of different people and
it’s nice to do some one-on-one with customers.”
There are multiple benefits from the drug studies,
Ghattas says.
“It brings in another whole group of people who
potentially could come to our pharmacy. Part of it is
marketing, part of it is monetary—because they do pay
us to do the studies—and part of it is keeping up with
medications that are being considering for over-the-
counter use. It’s important to learn about these things
because people are on different drugs each with their own
contraindications; it kind of keeps our skills a bit honed
in, and because we have to be trained before we do the
drug studies for a class, it helps build the knowledge base.”
Ghattas says being an independent provides the
flexibility to participate in outside ventures.
“Because we aren’t a [publicly traded]
corporation, we can do a lot of other things on the side
because we don’t have to go through a big corporate
approval process,” she says. “I can make those decisions.”
Supporting Local BusinessesHaving lived in Albuquerque her entire life, Ghattas is
loyal to her hometown and is passionate about helping it
remain vibrant economically.
“Maybe because I have a local business, but I really
do try hard to support other local businesses,” she says. “I’ve
From aromatherapy herbal remedies to kitchen gadgets to 400 different imported soaps, they’re all at Duran’s on iconic Route 66.
(Photo courtesy of Mona Ghattas)
got buttons that say ‘shop small stores.’ I think it’s important
to keeping money in the community, and keep local
businesses alive. I try to practice that in every aspect. I rarely
buy anything on the Internet. Sometimes I’ll pay more and
go out of my way to buy my clothes at a local shop instead
of a big chain, and I very rarely go to a chain restaurant.”
She continues, “It’s hard to keep small businesses
afloat, so I try hard to support other local businesses.
If they can’t find it at my store, then I will send them to
the next local pharmacy or the next local gift shop, or
the next local restaurant. We have an organization that
supports local businesses. When we have meetings we
try to get food from local restaurants, and promote other
local businesses.”
Ghattas applies that philosophy to her practice,
that of the friendly local pharmacist who might live
down the street or in the neighborhood.
“We try to offer that whole small town pharmacy
feel in our store,” she says. “We’re very big in customer
support and customer appreciation. We try to know
everybody’s name and go the extra mile. If you are
20 america’s Pharmacist | November 2012 www.americaspharmacist.net
our customer, we will take the time to help you figure
out your wellness program and goals. We know what
they are taking pharmaceutical wise, so we know if
they aren’t sleeping, or if they are having some other
problems. Many times we’ll take the initiative and offer
suggestions—maybe you need to try to do this or take
this. We work hard with the doctors in our community
and have a good relationship with them. A lot of times
customers will come in and say, ‘the doctor says your
pharmacy is the best in town’—that’s nice to hear.”
Looking AheadGhattas says she doesn’t have any specific goals other
than to “continue what we are doing.” She does say that
complementary and alternative medicine is a focus area. The
pharmacy carries a large supply of vitamins and supplements,
along with Doctor Oz and weight loss programs.
“I’d like to grow a little bit in the wellness
area,” she says. “We encourage people to try to be
pharmaceutical free, and there’s a big interest there for
a lot of people. I think a lot of people want to do less
pharmaceutical and more natural preparation, so we’ve
been doing a lot of research on that and continuing
education in that area so we are more versed.”
Technology will also be a priority, she says,
particularly in creating greater efficiencies and improved
inventory control.
And of course, patient care is priority number one.
“We are committed to helping our patients in their
overall wellness,” Ghattas says. “We want to be a member
of the team to make people feel better and be healthier.”
Chris Linville is managing editor of America’s Pharmacist.
All in the family: Robert Ghattas bought Duran Central Pharmacy
in 1965, and daughter Mona took over the pharmacy---and
the kitchen---in 2010. (Photo courtesy of Bruce Kneeland)