WACO, TEXAS (KXXV) — The curtain is falling on a decade in business for a local Waco food truck.
Taqueria Mis Maria's has been serving the community from its spot on 19th Street, just off I-35 near Magnolia Table, for 10 years. However, an unexpected closure has left the owners and loyal customers reeling.
Two weeks ago, the city notified the owners that starting July 1, they could no longer keep their trailer parked in its usual spot overnight. The city also informed them they could no longer use the power lines for electricity. The enforcement is part of a new set of city ordinances that went into effect in January.
For owner Juan Rocha and his family, the food truck is their primary source of income.
"This truck is too big for us to be moving and parking it under here every day," Rocha said.
Rocha noted that in order to stay in business at that location, the family would have to buy a smaller trailer and invest in a generator. He says those upgrades are simply too expensive.
"We’re usually here like 12 hours a day, almost 14 or 15 on the weekends," Rocha said. "And that’s too much for it to be on the generator.”
The news of the closure has hit loyal customers hard. Kiaira Jimenez, who first tried Taqueria Mis Maria's six years ago, says she has been hooked ever since.
"This is a way that they pay their bills," Jimenez said. "The way they revenue money for themselves. So just to have them have to close, and now they have a sign they won’t be here, and we won’t know the next time when they open is very, very sad.”
We reached out to the city of Waco to learn more about the enforcement of these new requirements but have not yet heard back.
Right now, the future remains uncertain for Taqueria Mis Maria's. Customers say they are holding out hope for a quick comeback, but only time will tell if the local favorite will be able to open its doors again.
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