We at Taco Bell are lucky to call sunny southern California our home, from our very first location in Downey to our current headquarters in Irvine. And we’re part of a bustling food scene unlike any other. That culinary hotspot includes heavy influence from Latin American cultures—which continue inspiring our own menu—and are often shared with the community via thousands of street vendors. From tamales and elote to tacos and pupusas, street vendors are a SoCal staple for locals and tourists alike. They embody Taco Bell’s entrepreneurial mindset, enthusiastically cooking up both authentic and fusion cuisine.
Although these passionate small business owners are essential to the community, they often face challenges like permitting issues, equipment access, financial barriers and even street harassment. Since Taco Bell’s start, we’ve believed that there should be no limitations when it comes to making, selling, eating or celebrating tacos—or any food for that matter. Earlier this year, we boldly set out to give Taco Tuesday back to the people, so that everyone can freely celebrate Taco Tuesday. As we continue to support taco culture and those that inspire and embolden it, we’re acting to help break down barriers when it comes to serving tacos and other Hispanic and Latin cuisines on Taco Tuesdays starting next month until the end of the year. As part of these efforts, we’ll be teaming up with local organization Revolution Carts on their program to give street-legal carts to 20 deserving entrepreneurs, and bringing the beloved Ave 26 Family Night Market back to the heart of Los Angeles as a pop-up on select Tuesdays.
We are thrilled to partner with an organization that was founded to address the challenges street vendors constantly face and give purveyors of all things delicious the best opportunities to thrive. Each of the 20 carts that Taco Bell and Revolution Carts are distributing will be health permit compliant and customized to reflect the style and spirit of their future owners. The carts will be placed strategically, taking into account the vendors’ operations and driving foot traffic. This partnership will enable the vendors to be the best they can be, and empower them to bring taco culture, and their entrepreneurial spirit, to more people.
“There are times when others come into your path to help you realize your dream—Taco Bell and Revolution Carts were just that,” said Karen and Randy Garcia, owners of House of Masa. “This cart will help our family expand our passion and love to bring people together through our food to our community and beyond. We appreciate the support in making our dreams become a reality.”
Taco Bell is also stepping up to support this community by helping to bring the locally iconic Ave 26 Family Night Market back to Los Angeles this fall. The night market, which originally started in Lincoln Heights as an opportunity to provide vendors a location to serve their unique culinary creations and make a living, was required to relocate in 2021 and, with determination and support from the community, found a home at the Pico Rivera Sports Arena. However, starting in November, Ave 26 will return to the Arts District of downtown LA at the corner of 5th Ave and Colyton St. for six consecutive weeks, on Taco Tuesdays, as a haven for street food vendors and a joyous communal gathering place.
The first Revolution Carts will be distributed at the Ave 26 Family Night Market event in Pico Rivera on October 28, where recipients will get to share their inspiring stories with the community. Taco Bell will continue to give Revolution Carts away on Tuesdays in various parts of Southern California to lucky recipients for the remainder of the year.
“Street vending is one of those things that makes the greater Los Angeles area so unique,” said Richard Gomez, Chief Engineer at Revolution Carts. “It’s one of the most accessible entry points for aspiring food entrepreneurs, yet many people don’t realize the significant obstacles that vendors face throughout that process. We’re proud to team up with Taco Bell to do our part in trying to remedy these issues by supplying vendors with the proper equipment and fundamentals for long-term success.”
This initiative is the latest in continued efforts to contribute to bettering the SoCal community we call home. As dedicated neighbors, Taco Bell and the Taco Bell Foundation take pride in local partnerships, such as the ones we’ve forged with Bracken’s Kitchen, Working Wardrobes, Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California, Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance, and Bridge Builder Foundation and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Orange Coast.
Meet the First Taco Bell x Revolution Carts Recipients
These impressive entrepreneurs were selected because of their business ambitions, community connectivity and delicious creativity—pursuits that Taco Bell loves to champion.
The Basket Taco Co., led by Abraham and Karla Mota: This husband-and-wife duo are proudly bringing traditional Mexican tacos de canasta to SoCal. Their tacos are stuffed with sizzling chicharrón, refried beans and potatoes, then topped with fresh shredded cabbage and perfectly pickled veggies. As their business name indicates, the tacos are layered one on top of another in baskets, where warm steam creates delicately soft tortillas. The Motas have nurtured their business from a part-time venture to a full-time company including catering and charitable efforts, and now they hope to expand by bringing another entrepreneurial couple into their work.
Sammy’s Elotes y Más, led by Merced Cortés Sánchez: A seasoned street vendor with two decades of experience, Merced has actively collaborated with community leaders for the past ten years to advocate for improved vending legislation to support vendors. Despite once losing everything in a fire without insurance coverage, Sánchez has persisted in her efforts to bring about positive change in the vending industry. She adds flavors from her home state of Puebla to all of her dishes, with her specialty being delicious elotes and esquites, which include white corn, epazote herbs, mayonnaise, cotija cheese and dry chili. Her new cart will allow her to expand and make an even bigger impact in her community.
Martha’s Kitchen, led by Greysi Car: Greysi is a young, talented Ave 26 vendor known for her one-of-a-kind pupusas, a flatbread-like corn tortilla stuffed with goodness. She has dedicated herself to spreading community joy through her love of food. Her pupusas recipe was passed down by her mom, which includes home-cooked pork seasoned just right, and beans mixed in with her family-favorite mozzarella cheese. A 21-year-old college student pursuing a degree in criminal justice, she hopes to finance her education with the support of her new food cart.
House of Masa, led by Karen and Randy Garcia: The Garcias are dedicated to fostering a sense of community unity by sharing authentic Latin food. Their fresh tamales are unlike any other, using a long-time family recipe that represents their history. Generously filled, their tamales are loaded with tri-tip beef marinated in a savory secret red sauce, resulting in regalitos (gifts) wrapped with love for hungry customers to unwrap with delight. The duo has built a loyal following, but their new cart will help them scale.
About Taco Bell Corp. For more than 61 years, Bell has brought innovative, craveable Mexican-inspired food to the masses, and was recently recognized as one of TIME’s Most Influential Companies, one of Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies and Nation’s Restaurant News’ Brand Icon. For more information about Taco Bell, visit our website at www.TacoBell.com, our Newsroom at www.TacoBell.com/news, or check out www.TacoBell.com/popular-links. You can also stay up to date on all things Taco Bell by following us on LinkedIn, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, Facebook and by subscribing to our YouTube channel.
About Revolution Carts
Revolution Carts was started by Richard Gomez, Matthew Geller, and Patrick Lennon. Three industry experts saw the need for small street vendors to get health-permitted, compliant vending carts. With over 30 years of manufacturing, grassroots advocacy, and education experience, in 2021, the team designed the first ever LA County Health Department permitted prepackaged hot holding push cart for vendors who wanted the opportunity to sell legally with the LA City Sidewalk Vending Permit. Their first sidewalk cart, “The Tamalero,” is a lightweight, affordable sidewalk cart with low operational costs and is the perfect tool for new or experienced small business owners to enter the formal economy and sell at high volume. Following the Tamalero, Chief Engineer Richard Gomez designed the first health permitted Sidewalk Grill Cart to be used for onsite cooking. The Sidewalk Grill Cart will be available Summer 2024.
At Revolution, when conceptualizing new designs, the team doesn’t just focus on the mechanics of the sidewalk carts they build; they use the carts as a medium to express their identity—creatively and culturally. In addition to being used for cooking, selling, and providing opportunities, Revolution’s sidewalk carts also help beautify the city streets in which they roll, serving local and traditional fare from a piece of art.
More than a business, it’s a passion project for three friends who believe that providing carts for vendors is only the first step in the vending cycle. Partnering with large sponsors, food distributors, and vendor technology solution platforms, Revolution Carts plans to provide resources for vendors to help guide them to the successful operation they’ve always dreamed of.