Welcome to The Taco Wire. Each week, we serve you a roundup of stories on all things tacos and the universe of Mexican food that make headlines in Los Angeles and beyond. Cuz, it’s never not a good time for tacos.
And the Winner Is ...
[dropcap size=big]A[/dropcap]fter weeks of eliminations, KCRW’s Inaugural Great Tortilla Tournament featuring L.A. Taco editor-at-large Gustavo Arellano has come to a close, says KCRW. And now for the best tortilla of all of Los Angeles, as selected through a sports-style bracket challenge that started with 64 contestants – 32 corn, 32 flour – goes to ... Sonoratown, the winner of the 2018 Golden Tortilla for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Tortilla Excellence.
‘Culture of Harassment’ at Rancho Cucamonga Del Taco
[dropcap size=big]T[/dropcap]he Lake Forest-based Del Taco fast-food chain is being sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on allegations that female employees as young as 16 at the Rancho Cucamonga location were for years subjected to a culture of sexual harassment by male supervisors, the LA Times reports. The federal lawsuit filed Monday claims that the harassment has gone one since 2014. One woman came forward in June of this year with a complaint to the human resources department, the EEOC and a company hotline but troubles continued, hence the lawsuit.
Florida Taco Bell Employee Fired for Not Speaking English
[dropcap size=big]A[/dropcap] female Taco Bell employee in the Miami suburb of Hialeah has been fired for not speaking English to a drive-thru customer after video of an argument between the worker and customer surfaced last week, and unleashed a wave of haters on social media for her “refusal” to serve the guest. On the night of Sept. 12, customer Alexandria Montgomery was trying to place an order in English at a Taco Bell drive thru window in the Florida city, home to one of the highest concentrations of Spanish speakers in the country. The employee “refused” to take her order because she didn’t speak Spanish, the Miami Herald reports. Montgomery posted a video of the confrontation on social media sparking an internet firestorm. Taco Bell Corp. told el Nuevo Herald that the employee was subsequently fired. We can’t help but note that the event took place in a community that is more than 94 percent Hispanic.
Robbers Targeting San Antonio-area Taco Cabanas
[dropcap size=big]P[/dropcap]olice in a suburb of San Antonio are investigating a string of robberies at local Taco Cabanas, Starbucks, and other similar eateries, News 4 SA reports. Witnesses have described a person who has held employees up at gunpoint, wearing sunglasses, a ball cap, and hooded shirt to cover their face. No one has been injured in these robberies thus far, but police are on the lookout for any leads.
Taco Tailgate Fundraiser for South Dakota Mexican Restaurant Owner with Skin Cancer
[dropcap size=big]R[/dropcap]esidents of the South Dakota town of Madison have rallied support in the form of a taco tailgate fundraiser for a Mexican food restaurant owner who was forced to close his eatery to focus on treatment for melanoma, the Keloland Media Group reports. A GoFundMe campaign launched by the daughter of Rigoberto and Maria Aguirre, owners of the recently shuttered El Vaquero restaurant, has raised more than $7,300 that will be used toward his medical treatment. A taco tailgate party was also held outside of a local football stadium in time for a big Friday night game for Aguirre, 61. The Aguirre family relocated to the area from Mississippi in 2007 and opened the family-run restaurant, also known as El Vaq, the Go Fund Me page says.
