Colloquially referred to as Loncheras, Taco trucks have become an iconic symbol of Mexican culture in the United States. Popularized in Los Angeles, Loncheras are often characterized by rough exteriors, bright colors, and bold murals. Operators have been able to build loyal clientele using familiar parking spots, social media, and after-dark hours. Though taco trucks are a staple food for Angelenos of every race, Loncheras in Los Angeles are chiefly owned and operated by Hispanic and Latino families in low to moderate-income areas. Since Raul Martinez's first mobile truck success, taco trucks have continued to serve as windows of opportunity for migrant families and prospective chefs to earn a living. Taco trucks, like all Mexican street food, have allowed Mexican Americans to stay connected to their heritage while adjusting to a new country, community, and way of life. Success among authentic Mexican taco trucks later inspired "fusion taco trucks". Roy Choi's Kogi BBQ food truck, a Korean-Mexican short rib taco truck, is considered to be the first "fusion" taco truck in Los Angeles. The opening of Choi's truck marked a gastronomic explosion on the Los Angeles taco truck horizon. Both regular and fusion taco trucks help meet the high demand for fast, affordable, and convenient street food in the Golden city.
Historical demand for mobile vending in Los Angeles
The establishment of the transcontinental railroad in the late 19th century opened the floodgates of migration toward the west coast. Agricultural and economic opportunity spurred millions of migrants toward Los Angeles. Coming from both Mexico and the eastern United States, migrants drove the population of Los Angeles from 50,000 to 1.2 million between 1890 and 1930. Mexican tamale wagons were some of the first to capitalize on the sudden influx in population. These specialized "chuck wagons" were known as Tamaleros. These horse-drawn wagons provided convenient, affordable meals to the growing working class. Chuck wagons commonly followed popular trading routes connecting Mexico, Texas, California, and everywhere in-between. The high population density made Los Angeles a unique hotspot for the jerry-rigged mobile kitchens. In 1901, there was already more than one hundred tamale "chuck wagons" serving tamales to the downtown roads of Los Angeles. Los Angeles media companies often portrayed Mexican street food as dirty, riotous, and uncultured. Mexican street food was blamed for lowering living standards and was seen as competition for white workers in the food industry. Despite the public controversy, and legal efforts to criminalize Tamaleros, they only grew in popularity. At one point in 1903, more than five hundred concerned citizens banded together to protest governmental movements to ban chuck wagons. Each of them signed a document stating, "We claim that the lunch wagons are catering to an appreciative public, and to deprive the people of these convenient eating places would prove a great loss to the many local merchants who sell the wagon proprietors various supplies." Governmental regulations were often unable to keep up with the staggering demand for Mexican street cuisine. According to Gustavo Arellano, tamales were "L.A.’s first street food fad".
Though the popularity of chuck wagon kitchens slowly faded with advancements in technology, the demand for Mexican street food did not. The conditions in which Tamaleros grew to popularity are the same conditions that later spurred the invention of the mobile taco truck. It was not until the late 1900s that motorized taco trucks would rumble their way onto Los Angeles Streets. Tamales, burritos, chili, horchata, and especially tacos, each originally gaining popularity through street food sales, are now staple foods in taco truck menus. Today, many taco truck owners in Los Angeles still face legal issues similar to those of Tamaleros.