Taqueria El Llano draws crowds in surprise opening weekend
“They tell me not to touch the food,” Francis Gonzalez laughed.
So she greets the customers and takes the orders at the new taco trailer, Taqueria El Llano, that opened at the intersection of Third and Main streets near Krempp Lumber in Jasper over the weekend.
Then, her husband Beto and brother-in-law Joel Serna quickly pound out the made-to-go orders of tacos, quesadillas, burritos or tortas — massive sandwiches stuffed with meat, lettuce and avocado held together with mayo.
Despite the speed of the two men, Francis found that the business’s instant popularity caused some customers to have to wait a bit. “Everyone was so friendly,” she explained. “And I got to meet many new people and make some new friends.”
The crowds and lines burgeoned with the great weather and savory scents of grilled meat and sauces with onions and cilantro. Business boomed with new faces but Francis also saw Friday’s customers returning on Saturday or Sunday bringing friends.
She credits the two men for the idea. Beto and Joel are from Aguascalientes, Mexico — the new business’s name is derived from a ranch in that area of Mexico — and are excellent cooks, according to Francis.
Additionally, Francis has some experience through her aunt who operated a small taco restaurant in their hometown of Bakersfield, California. The small restaurants were popular there and she felt they would be popular here as well. “There wasn’t one here and we felt it would do well,” she said. “The family also said we should do it since my husband is a really good cook.”
About six months ago, the two men purchased the trailer and began to build the mobile commercial kitchen from scratch. At the same time, Francis began working with the city on the proper permits.
In the midst of creating the new business, Beto and Francis added their first child, Sadie, to the family. Through ten years of marriage, the couple had tried unsuccessfully to have children. Then an opportunity for an adoption came available and three months ago, in the midst of building the new trailer and completing the permitting processes to get open, little Sadie entered their lives.
They are taking it in stride and are encouraged by the popularity of their new business. Expanded hours may come in the future, but for now, the limited weekend hours — Fridays 11 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Saturdays 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Sundays 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. — give the new parents time to recoup and raise their daughter.
“We wanted to only open for the weekend to see how it did,” Francis said. “But with the requests from customers to be open during the week, we will look at opening more.”
Based on the popularity, this weekend they plan on adding some shrimp items as well as offering chicken as a meat choice. Francis is also counting on the men to cook up some Menudo, a traditional Mexican soup, to be offered on Sunday.
When the weather warms, they would like to add some chairs and tables. Additionally, the hours of operation, which are regulated by their permitting, could also lengthen a bit.
“It has been fun and exciting seeing all the people this weekend,” Francis said.
