A Party on Wheels: How the Taco Catering Experience Goes WAY Beyond Food

How does that work? Think about all that smartphones bring us, with thousands of apps that give us everything, from the current temperature to GPS to providing a mirror and flashlight. We can take that single, thin thing and go almost anywhere with huge and inexpensive conveniences at our fingertips.

On-site taco catering works in much the same way. It’s a simple concept, mobile food carts, which we’ve known for decades among street vendors and at work sites. But with the infusion of a modern sensibility – gourmet food offerings, complementary event components, and equipment that can go a lot further than a traditional kitchen – convenience is combined with a superior product. The end result is more than the individual elements could ever achieve on their own.

How far can you go with mobile food? It’s almost like there’s an app for all of the following:

Venue options open up – A traditional catering operation formerly required a mobile kitchen, often eating up hundreds of square feet under its own tent (which had to be located within close enough range of the food service area). But with a mobile cart, the service area is the kitchen. In addition, the carts can be brought to many more remote and creative venues where the tent-kitchen simply couldn’t go. Even a hilltop that is almost its own version of Google’s bird’s eye view.

Introduce your guests to gourmet tacos – Workplace food vans and fast food tacos are nothing like the grown-up version. Today, gourmet chefs have revisited the traditional taco and transformed it into a taste extravaganza. Carne and refried beans are still available, but you can also get grilled shrimp, grilled tilapia, Jamaican chicken, slow-simmered carnitas and grilled tofu.

Latin-inspired beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) – You can always serve tacos with sodas. But you take your event up a notch with aguas frescas in fruit flavors. Or add horchata with cinnamon, jarritos, cervezas or Sangria.

Music! – Be it mariachi, tejano, samba, tango or salsa, music absolutely sets the mood and tempo. A skilled DJ or live band can make it happen – but with the right equipment and a good streaming music program, you might be able to manage it from that smartphone.

Theme décor – This is where the imagination can run wild, even when the budget does not. What matters is that you have a teammate on your side, someone who you can share ideas with and who will provide reality checks to help your best concepts become even better.

So just like a smartphone is 1000 other things, so too can be your taco cart caterer – able to work from the platform of great food to build a full sensory experience that makes your event memorable.