Name of business: Tito’s Tacos & Grill
Type of business: Mexican food truck
Location: 240 S. Center St.
Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday (8 a.m. to 3 p.m. starting in October)
Contact information: 209-485-8609
Specialty: Spicy guacamole sauce
History of business:
Turlock resident Cesar Rodriguez recently realized his longtime dream of running his own business with the opening of Turlock’s newest food truck, Tito’s Tacos & Grill.
Named after his father’s nickname from whom Rodriguez learned his knack for savory sauces and quality food, Tito’s opened on Aug. 10 and has since been pleasing the community’s palettes with its wide variety of Mexican dishes. From burrito bowls to fish tacos, the location isn’t your average taco truck.
“I visited a lot of taco trucks and Mexican restaurants trying to figure out what I really wanted to do, and that help me put my own little touches on this place,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez first joined the food industry as a busser with Las Casuelas in Turlock, he said, where he was able to rise through the ranks until he was ultimately named restaurant manager. The establishment taught him everything he knows, he said, and this year he decided to take that knowledge and create Tito’s.
“I had a lot of opportunity over there to learn, and I knew whenever I decided to leave that I would try to do something on my own,” Rodriguez said. “I didn’t really think it was going to be a food truck, but this seemed like a stepping stone.”
In addition to unique items typically not seen at taco trucks, like Tito’s Burger, for instance, the business also offers tacos, taquitos, quesadillas and tortas, which all stand apart from other food in town thanks to Rodriguez’s custom spicy guacamole sauce. Soon, the menu will be expanded to include salads and breakfast burritos, he added.
Tito’s sits on the corner of South Center Street and Marshall Street — a location Rodriguez scouted out for months, he said. Living on the north side of town, he’s been pleased with business so far and didn’t realize how much business the hustle and bustle of downtown Turlock would bring.
“I never noticed that this side of town was a busy as it is,” he said. “We’re happy here.”
