CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The pain at the pump is going to take a toll on more than just your daily commute. Food vendors, like taco trucks, are shelling out a lot of money to keep their business going.
“We see very few taco trucks more out than before the gas went up," Roger Lucio said. "Before the gas went up, there was a whole bunch of taco trucks out."
Lucio owns Chiblos Tacos on the Run. Usually he has his taco truck in front of Lorelei Brewery to help attract some people from the naval base for lunch.
But with rising gas prices, he might cut back on how many day’s he’s out there.
“I get maybe nine miles per gallon on my truck pulling my trailer, so," he said. "It’s really eating me up and the food prices are also going up. I can’t win for losing. I can’t make no money because food is so expensive and gas is so expensive.”
Over on Morgan Avenue, Francisco Alvarez and his food truck have had to make different changes, other than scheduling.
“I'm real hesitant to raising prices right now, just to help out the people, help out the community," Alvarez said, owner of Taqueria Empalme. "But at the same time I have to go just a little bit higher than other people, just to stay alive and have a good business.”
Paying at the pump isn’t something either wants to think about.
“I fill up about maybe every other day, $100 in gas," Lucio said. "Fill up my truck, be able to pull my truck for two days. That’s a lot of gas.”
“The truck’s on a quarter of a tank, so that’s diesel," said Alvarez. "So, if I fill it up that's $150 plus the generator, another $30, and then plus the car that we use to deliver items and their food. That’s another $30, $40.”
These vendors aren’t sure how long they can last at this rate, but said they continue serving as long as they can.
"We'll make it," Alvarez said. "But it's just going to be a very rough, black days for us here."
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