Tito's Tacos is a

taco stand A taco stand or taquería is a food stall, food cart or restaurant that specializes in tacos and other Mexican dishes. The food is typically prepared quickly and tends to be inexpensive. Many various ingredients may be used, and various taco ...

Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. It is mostly surrounded by Los Angeles, but also shares a border with the unincorporated area of Ladera Heights, Californi ...

. Opened in 1959, it is known for its American-style hard-shell taco and

burrito A burrito (, ) or burro in Mexico is, historically, a regional name, among others, for what is known as a taco, a tortilla filled with food, in other parts of the country. The term ''burrito'' was regional, specifically from Guanajuato, Guerre ...

s. Considered a Los Angeles-area icon, the restaurant was named to

Fox News The Fox News Channel (FNC), commonly known as Fox News, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational Conservatism in the United States, conservative List of news television channels, news and political commentary Television stati ...

' list of the ten best tacos in America in 2014, and was ranked #1 on

The Daily Meal The Daily Meal is a food and drinks website. Launched in October 2010, it was the first site launched by Spanfeller Media Group, founded by former Forbes.com CEO Jim Spanfeller. In 2016, The Daily Meal, along with Spanfeller Media Group, was ac ...

's "Top 35 Burritos in America" list in 2015.

History

Tito's Tacos was established in 1959 by Benjamin Davidson. The menu was developed by Davidson's business partner, Benny Vizcarra, with additional input from the restaurant's first employee, Amado Madera (From Huejuquilla el Alto, Jalisco). A year after its opening, Vizcarra wanted to buy out Davidson but did not have enough money to do so. At that point, Davidson solicited funds from his ex-wife, a native of Mexico, and bought out Vizcarra. The business came under the ownership of Davidson's son, Norman Davidson, a few years later. The restaurant was managed for 20 years by his son in law from 1976 to 1996. (Married to Norman's daughter Wendy). Lynne Davidson did not assume ownership until her father got ill in the 2000's. In 2016, the restaurant changed its long-standing cash-only policy to accept credit cards. In 2016, Tito's Tacos successfully filed a

cease and desist A cease and desist letter is a document sent by one party, often a business, to warn another party that they believe the other party is committing an unlawful act, such as copyright infringement, and that they will take legal action if the oth ...

order against the owner of Tito's Tacos of Vermont for trademark infringement. The

Brattleboro, Vermont Brattleboro (), originally Brattleborough, is a New England town, town in Windham County, Vermont, United States, located about north of the Massachusetts state line at the confluence of Vermont's West River (Vermont), West River and the Connec ...

taco stand, which had been in business for ten weeks, agreed to change its name; it renamed itself Tito's Taqueria. As of 2018, Tito's Tacos employs 95 workers. Full-time employees receive full medical and dental insurance coverage for themselves and their families. Tito's Tacos can be seen in the classic 1989 film

Gleaming the Cube ''Gleaming the Cube'' (also known as ''A Brother's Justice'' and ''Skate or Die''; released in the Philippines as ''Challenge to Win Again'') is a 1989 American film directed by Graeme Clifford and starring Christian Slater as Brian Kelly, a 16 ...

Menu and service

The menu is notable for its use of hard-shell rather than soft-shell tacos, which is unusual for Mexican restaurants in Los Angeles, and for using cold cheese. Its

salsa Salsa most often refers to: * Salsa (food), a variety of sauces used as condiments * Salsa music, a popular style of Latin American music * Salsa (dance), a Latin dance associated with Salsa music Salsa or SALSA may also refer to: Arts and ent ...

has also attracted attention. The tacos are made to the same recipe introduced in 1959, and the menu has remained unchanged for decades. Tito's Tacos is considered a Los Angeles-area icon. Many of its customers have nostalgic memories of eating there as children. The restaurant is known for its ubiquitous lines, although the lines "move quickly". Its high volume is reflected in its product use. On an annual basis, Tito's Tacos uses more than of tortillas and more than of beef.

Critical response

In 2015, Tito's Tacos' bean and cheese burrito placed #1 on

's ranking of the top 35 burritos in America. Also in 2015, Tito's Tacos was named one of the "20 Places Where You Can Get the Best Tacos in the U.S." by ''Tech Times''. In 2014,

placed the taco stand on its top-ten list of the "Best Tacos in America".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tito's Tacos Fast-food Mexican restaurants Restaurants established in 1959 1959 establishments in California Buildings and structures in Culver City, California Mexican restaurants in California Taco stands