How a fried shrimp taco saved a Fresno food truck. Now, it’s opening a restaurant
Sometimes one little thing can propel a business to success.
Like a fried shrimp taco.
Taco Pinto is a Fresno food truck that just opened its first brick-and-mortar restaurant on Shaw Avenue. Before that, it started a taco trailer in 2019, usually parking at the Kwik Serv gas station at the southeast corner of Shaw and West avenues.
The business opened the restaurant earlier this month, less than half a mile away. It’s on the north side of Shaw Avenue, in the same building with the green roof as Oro Financial.
It’s a little place with no seating — take-out food only. And it’s only open for lunch. Go behind the building to find parking.
The new restaurant has been busy. But business hasn’t always been that way for Taco Pinto, noted owners Maritza Silva and Luciano Morfin.
Several months into operating the mobile trailer at the gas station, business was slow, Silva said. Things were bad enough they were thinking of calling it quits.
“Literally, we went OK, I don’t think we’re going to continue doing this because we weren’t seeing any progress — because the bills don’t wait,” Silva said.
Then they got an invite to the Taco Truck Throwdown. That’s the yearly event at Chukchansi Park that attracts thousands of people, with dozens of taco trucks competing for a trophy declaring them the best.
Taco Pinto’s owners weren’t sure they should go since they might close.
But they did. And they won the Judges’ Choice award for their fried shrimp taco. Then they won it again at the next throwdown.
Since those wins, business took off. Taco Pinto also got a boost in customers during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many people turned to takeout food instead of dining in, she said.
Now, business in that little gas station corner lot is “super busy,” she said.
Throwdown co-founder Mike Osegueda remembers Taco Pinto winning.
“People were wowed by them that day,” he said. “We’ve had some great success stories, but they’re one of the best.”
The taco
The shrimp in the taco is breaded and fried, served with vegetables and Pinto sauce — “my husband’s secret recipe,” Silva said.
“I think it’s just the sauce that’s on that, that’s what everybody goes for,” she said.
Taco Pinto eventually upgraded from a trailer to a truck. They also leased the restaurant as prep space, with no intention of opening to the public.
But then, they thought, “OK, why don’t we make something out of it and open just for lunch?”
The menu
The restaurant has other kinds of Mexican food, such as tacos, burritos, quesadillas, salads, nachos and fries loaded with toppings. It’s a small menu, with most entree prices ranging from $12 to $15.99.
All come with some variation on four types of protein: the carne asada, adobada (pork), fish and shrimp.
For now, the restaurant is open for lunch and the truck is open for dinner.
Details: The restaurant at 2304 W. Shaw Ave. is open from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.
The truck is at the southeast corner of Shaw and West avenues from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, and from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.
This story was originally published October 19, 2022 at 10:30 AM.
