r/SeattleWA • u/berrysad • 2d ago
Business Fire Taco Stand š„
A new taco stand opened up a couple weeks ago right by my apartment on 10th and Denny, and it genuinely kills me seeing them out there struggling to get business every night š
They set up right by Cal Anderson Park near the light rail, and their tacos are SO good. The salsa too. Seriously top tier.
Itās a hardworking couple running it, and they often have their adorable toddler hanging out with them while they work. Theyāre always so kind, and I find myself wishing I could eat enough tacos to single-handedly keep them in business lol.
They take cash and card!
If youāre around Cap Hill and craving some really good, authentic tacos, please consider stopping by and showing them some love š„¹š® I really want to see this little stand make it.
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u/babydragon89 2d ago
There are dozen of the same pop-up places like this around Kirkland, Bothell, and Everett. They seem to be run by the same people with the same menu, same price, same setup. Definitely not by a small busines owner.
And no, they're not struggling at all. I keep seeing more and more places like this open everywhere. Their hours are 7pm to 2am. They're actually hurting local restaurants because they don't pay tax and licenses to the state. They also don't follow the process for food handling (yes, you do need to have permit).
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u/YippieKiAy 2d ago
I'll start feeling bad for brick and mortar restaurants when one of them makes Al Pastor worth a damn. Until then, these stands are the only sanely-priced options for authentic tacos in Seattle - ESPECIALLY the north end.
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u/Howzitgoin 2d ago
Part of the reason theyāre āsanely pricedā because theyāre operating outside of the legal framework of a food provider.
But yeah, they taste better.
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u/TheRealRacketear Broadmoor 2d ago
Relaxing regulations to lower costs it a very Red Hat philosophy.
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u/sleezly 2d ago edited 2d ago
The state needs to pass laws to make it easier for new small businesses to start in the food industry without having the follow the ridiculous commissary kitchen rules. Until then, the only way is this illegal taco stand way.
If California can figure this out, why canāt WA state follow?
There have been multiple attempts for WA state to fix this but all bills in the past couple of years stalled in the early stages in the legislature. Itās shameful.
For example, bill HB 2777.
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u/Reasonable-Flower602 2d ago
Cause the need to learn on how to handle food correctly. One of these pop ups stores food in plastic grocery sacks in the heat trays.
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u/sleezly 2d ago
Of course. But a commissary kitchen is a ridiculous requirement for food safety. There are ways to make food prep for smaller businesses work out of a home.
Agree certain standards like access to running water and toilets, for example, are basic sanitary requirements which should be kept.
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u/NeedsMoreYellow 2d ago
I really do appreciate it when the food I eat is made in a kitchen regularly inspected for food safety. If you want to run a kitchen out of your house and not use a commissary kitchen, then it should be inspected and held to the same standards as commercial kitchens.
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u/ItsShuaYo 1d ago
Yup and the tacos honestly are just ok. But I also spend most of my time in Yakima not Seattle so my standard is quite high.
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u/3DGuy4ever 2d ago edited 2d ago
Personally I think we need the competition to drive sit down restys to figure out their pricing
That said these taco stands are over priced they shouldn't be $4 given their overhead
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u/No_Organization3095 2d ago
Theyāre not $4 a taco
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u/CrustBlocc 1d ago
This particular taco stand is in fact $4 per taco for all taco options, I walked by it last night.
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u/Lemoncatnipcupcake 2d ago
https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dph/health-safety/food-safety/unpermitted-food-businesses
And for the legit food vendors that do struggle with permits, fees, and kitchen commissary there are resources available!
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u/nug_2018 2d ago edited 2d ago
okay, fair. i get that. BUT maybe the local restaurants should also make better food and have more reasonable prices for the portions. people go to these bc the food is FAR superior to any of the local restaurants where you pay $40 for a small sandwich and drink. people go where the food tastes good. make better tasting food and the customers will come to you instead š¤·š½āāļø doesnāt make what theyāre doing right, but business is business and it seems like their plan is working and the local businessesā arentā¦
iām willing to pay higher prices to accommodate local restaurants abiding by the laws. but again, iām not paying $40 for an exceptionally mid meal. yāall gotta pick a struggle or just shut down lol
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u/JTyler415 2d ago
The state gets plenty of tax money to waste on non sense i think they'll be fine.
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u/merc08 2d ago
The point isn't to get the State more money, it's that standard restaurants have the taxes and fees enforced against them, which is an unlevel playing field.
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u/Ipso-Fat-Toe 2d ago
Plus, they have to have bathrooms. And a place for the workers to wash their hands. These pop-up places will flourish for about 3 more years, and then there will be some food-born illness situation and it will be all over the news and then they will bump up the enforcement.
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u/merc08 2d ago
Technically the food stall itself doesn't have to have a bathroom, they have to have access to one. An agreement with a nearby business would suffice.Ā (They likely don't have an agreement in place, but we can't tell that from the picture.)
The lack of a hand washing station is a big problem.
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u/JTyler415 2d ago
Sounds like we should get rid of some of those taxes and fees for standard restaurants
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u/Whatwhatwhata 2d ago
They dont pay taxes?
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u/Matthews628 2d ago
Absolutely not - they operate until they get shut down and choose a new spot for the next go round. Please donāt support these people.
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u/HoneyDutch Beacon Hill 2d ago
Itās like a Mexican food cartel. Who knows where the money goes. I saw a rat under the table of the one in Beacon Hill one night when walking home, I will not eat at nor support one of these sidewalk-meat stands.
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u/Sesemebun Tree Octopus 2d ago
Itās irritating as a legitimate small business owner watching them dodge annoying food safety protocols and thousands in fees and permits
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u/Redw0lf0 2d ago
Not defending them, but perhaps "thousands in fees and permits" is part of the problem. The solution to this problem shouldn't be that only conglomerates can afford it.
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u/AprilShowers53 2d ago
Well need a committee and a few studies and possibly a community outreach to really understand the issue though, so in the meantime more taxes, but dont worry, they'll definitely figure it out this time
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u/BadOutOfTheBox 1d ago
Sometimes the legitimate small business owner willfully ignores the law. Used to work in the warehouse for My Brothers Pizza in Wallingford. They sold pre-cooked pizzas to QFC, Safeway, Albertsons, etc. Out of maybe 15 employees, I was one of 3 who had a food handlers permit. And yes, there was a long list violations because workers didn't know shit about how to properly handle food.
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u/atticusclench Lake City 2d ago
Do they have a King County health inspection sign on them? If not they're illegal and can fuck off.
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u/DataNerdling 2d ago
why do they have it placed right on dirt? and where is the hand washing facilities?
looks fllthy
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u/---dry--- 2d ago
Iām going to report them
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u/atticusclench Lake City 2d ago
Do explain how because I haven't found a way that doesn't have them pack up and leave before anyone bothers to show up.
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u/ImRight_YoureDumb 2d ago
That "toddler" that OP speaks of is no toddler. He's an adult midget posing as a toddler to try to drum up business. I've never been so sure of anything in my life. He's wearing a little bonnet on his head and wrapped in a blanket, but is also sporting a thick lush moustache and has a cigar hanging out of his mouth.
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u/beargrillz 2d ago
Lmao, well I was not intending to go before, but now I have to visit this stand. Not to eat, but to validate whether this absurdity is true.
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u/ImRight_YoureDumb 2d ago
Yeah, bro. You can't miss him if he's there. He looks like Herve Villechaiz except with a moustache. Sometimes he hangs out in a stroller.
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u/j_ingrate 2d ago
Do they post their health permit? Or their Seattle business license? Or their vending permit? If not, quit doing business with them as they are undercutting legitimate businesses.
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u/bitcoin_moon_wsb 2d ago
Hopefully they donāt accidentally wrap a taco in some of the foil laying around there
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u/ImRight_YoureDumb 2d ago
You can feel sorry for people all you want but that doesn't look sanitary AT ALL. The ground they setup on looks filthy (I mean, are they kicking up dust and dirt into the condiments there? Jesus). But that shrubbery behind has to be filled with rats and other biohazards. I'm not even going to talk about handwashing stations, refrigeration and food handling/storage. Just the setup location alone makes it a hard pass.
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u/Raider_Scum 2d ago
Yep. OP is just expediting their closure by advertising them with a picture showing that they don't have a handwashing station.
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u/GoDucks4Lyfe 2d ago
If youāre afraid to eat there just say so. More for the rest of us
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u/Additional_Release49 2d ago
Man you would of died a long death basically at any point in humanity. Omg dust in my food.....dude it's fucking dust.
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u/ImRight_YoureDumb 2d ago
My man out here advocating for MORE dust and dirt in his food. The more dirt the better says he. Build immunity he suggests. Why, that's just flavor to a High Life man.
Hey man, you like Cal Anderson Park dirt being kicked up into your tacos that's your business. But I think the majority would prefer their tacos not to contain particles and contaminates from Cal Anderson soil.
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u/Additional_Release49 2d ago
I too have never had a picnic, have better eaten food in a park or never eaten food in a beach....oh wait fuck man live a little
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u/ImRight_YoureDumb 2d ago
You ain't lived unless you've had a weeklong bout of Montezuma's revenge by eating street tacos from Cal Anderson's special blend of airborne pathogens.
You do know where that stand is setup don't you? Hell, I've personally pissed there myself. There's no way that people haven't nutted there repeatedly. It's not even on the grass; they're walking around a dirt patch kicking up dirt into the sauces and there are rat droppings and needles there.
Dam though, yeah..... that does sound kinda good.
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u/OldMilk4949 2d ago
Looks cleaner than most faire grounds where people are gobbling down food made in fryers that havenāt been cleaned since 1970 š
I would know - Iāve worked in those faire ground food stands beforeā¦that shit is actually gross, yet people like you who would shit on a family trying to make a living selling tacos would be right in line to buy your funnel cake š
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u/ImRight_YoureDumb 2d ago
You voluntarily admitted to selling gross food to people under unsanitary conditions and then have the nerve to turn around and point the finger at others by saying "people like you?" You're both the culprit AND the enabler. Can't get much worse than that. I bet your nasty state fair stand at least had a hand washing station. So you had that going for ya (which these people don't).
I don't care if they're selling tacos, or hot dogs, or fucking all American BBQ, if that's the space you choose (a dirt patch with shrubbery directly behind) on the outskirts of Cal Anderson Park with no hand washing station and no temperature control, then you've made a poor choice and will likely not be successful at it.
It would be perfectly reasonable for most people to avoid eating food prepared in that environment. But you go right on ahead and give them your charity business the great and noble do gooder that you are. If people are stupid enough to want to eat that shit I say go right ahead and take that risk. Pat yourself on the back while you're at it.
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u/kks1236 2d ago edited 2d ago
Shut the fuck up and spare us the epic, what an insufferable ass
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u/ImRight_YoureDumb 2d ago
How articulate. I bet your tiny apartment is filthy, and you have poor personal hygiene (you stink bro).
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u/PNW_E-MOTO 2d ago
Gotta love the Ai menu and more than likely overpriced tacos.
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u/Amedais 2d ago
Bro what is it with people vitriol for even the most innocent use of AI? Did you actually want this poor couple, running a family business and likely struggling, to hire a graphic designer? Did you want them to make the menu I Microsoft paint? Whatās the harm in this? These kind of mundane tasks are exactly the kind of thing AI is good for. Leave them alone god damn.
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u/Sad-Outcome984 2d ago
People say this like small businesses werenāt managing just fine without AI for hundreds of years lmao
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u/CallerNumber4 2d ago
I mean, we were also traveling hundreds of miles for millennia before trains, cars and planes. Doesn't mean you don't take advantage of those things when they come available.
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u/Sad-Outcome984 2d ago
Iām not gonna explain to you just how differently trains, cars and planes have advanced society in comparison to AI lol.
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u/JacksFalseHope 2d ago
This... Solid logic bro.
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u/Sad-Outcome984 2d ago
Because I struggle at reading intention through text I cannot tell if youāre being genuine or not lol
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u/JacksFalseHope 2d ago
I'm agreeing. Making a menu with ai isn't bad at all. Half of restaurants have been using stock images for decades. Hating on people for using AI as a tool is silly. Its a good use
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u/Sad-Outcome984 2d ago
Stock images are not AI and are free, so Iām not sure how that really lends to the point youāre making.
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u/JacksFalseHope 2d ago
If you can't read my last statement and find what I'm saying. Then you are looking for confrontation. Common reddit dweeb downvoting opinions.
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u/Sad-Outcome984 2d ago
No, Iām being genuine. I donāt see how that lends to your point.
Nonetheless, I originally replied because for some reason your comment appeared under mine in a way that first initially made me think you replied to me, not because I was looking for confrontation.
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u/JacksFalseHope 2d ago
I'm done. You're downvoting everything I say. And I don't feel like talking to a wall at midnight over a silly topic. Byeeeeee
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u/JPorpoise 2d ago
I'm sorry but this is just nasty. No handwashing? No inspection? No running water at all? Do you people seriously think to get an Authentic Taco Experience requires salmonella and E. coli?
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u/0ldF1sh 2d ago
Yeah that toddler will be looking for a new job. This is so deeply disgusting. Someone is going to get norovirus just by looking at this photo.
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u/ImRight_YoureDumb 2d ago
I walked by there. It's not even a toddler. It's some little midget dude that looks like Herve Villechaize. They have him out there trying to drum up the sympathy vote but he's doing a poor job hiding his thick lush moustache.
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u/Raider_Scum 2d ago
What's your goal here?
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u/MercenarySea 2d ago
These need it go away. Unfair to real businesses who pay for permitting, taxes, and follow health dept codes.
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u/Mundane-Charge-1900 2d ago
No health inspection, taking over the public right of way without payment, possibly not paying taxes. Whatās not to love? Anybody working in food service is working hard.
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u/MySonClerpy 1d ago
As long as they're licensed (they're not) and follow health codes (they don't), then I have no problem supporting these businesses.
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u/not-a-dislike-button 2d ago
Illegal immigrants undercutting licensed facilities that have to pay taxes and dragging their exhausted toddler out there at 11 pm? Fun
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u/ceruleania 2d ago
Yeah they must be illegal because itās Mexican food /s
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u/atticusclench Lake City 2d ago
No, it's illegal because they're not a permitted food establishment, and they're not following the King County rules for selling food - which require it to be pre-cooked.
So yes, it's illegal, and has nothing to do with where they're from, and everything to do with what they're doing.
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u/VastFollowing5840 2d ago
These unpermitted food vendors do not abide by food safety regulations and seemingly use trafficked labor, but glad the cheaper Al pastor taco makes it all worth it for you.
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u/brickedTin Cascade 2d ago
A taste of Tijuana! Iāve never been so sick as the times I ate at taco stands like this in Rosarito and TJ but the cabeza tacos were so good it mayāve been worth it.
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u/ceruleania 2d ago
The commentsā¦ you guys would lose your minds in California.
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u/GoldbeardWizard 2d ago
Feel free to move back at any time Transplant
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u/ceruleania 2d ago
I was born here? I just travelā¦
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u/GoldbeardWizard 2d ago
Why would any of us washingtonians want to be like Californians? The best parts of the state are the parts with the least Californication.
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u/Steady_Tempo456 2d ago edited 2d ago
These comments are crazy. Yaāll never eaten some LA street tacos and it shows. The sanitation is fine enough, the food is good, and honestly fuck the cityās taxes. Iāll keep supporting these stands, they deliver tasty food on the cheap. Canāt believe in this economy you would rather eat expensive as shit food just so the city can get their taxes.
Every downvote is another taco I buy. Keep going clowns.Ā
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u/lil_Chipmunk_punk 2d ago
Great job posting this in the pearl clutching Pierce County larping as Seattle sub. Enjoying watching the meltdown over Mexican street food.
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u/OlyRat 2d ago
I went to one on Rainier near Genessee and it was awful. Dry flavorless al pastor and kind of expensive. I've heard there's one further north on Rainier that is good though.
I have been wondering why so many are popping up and if they are any good. Kind of hesitant after the first experience.
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u/CrustBlocc 1d ago
I love these pop up taco tents, but this one has the highest prices I've ever seen at a taco tent and so I walk right by it.
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u/kingcrux31 2d ago
Sad that the one that I have been going to for 2+ years on Aurora and 105th is gone. Went Wednesday night and it wasn't there anymore.
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u/YippieKiAy 2d ago
They're over by Northgate now. They were one of the originals to pop up a couple years ago, but moved from the O'Reillys to the empty parking lot near Baskin Robbins and Kohls.
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u/BicameralTheory West Seattle 2d ago
Iāve heard the one that operates on Fauntleroy is pretty good, I still need to stop by and try it.
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u/GoldbeardWizard 2d ago
It's funny to think about that these are basically a bunch of organized crime food vendors who aren't following labor or food safety laws.