San Diego is known for many things – beautiful beaches, a terrible baseball team, delicious craft beer, and an insanely expensive housing market, to name a few. But, it may be best known for its super tasty burritos and tacos, at least it was. Now, there appears to be a “taco crisis” in the city.
Tacos El Gordo, a popular chain of taco joints in the city, saw one of its locations shut down on Friday due to a critical shortage of “taqueros” or taco makers.
“There are not enough ‘taqueros’ with the right kind of experience to make tacos the right way,” Delia Hernandez, an administrative assistant for Tacos El Gordo, told The San Diego Union-Tribune.
This made upset plenty of San Diegans.
TACO CRISIS!! Tacos El Gordo forced to close because they don't have enough employees to make tacos. pic.twitter.com/Y2hxHYeEdP
— Ben Higgins (@BenHigginsSD) July 26, 2018
Do NOT mess with my tacos. There will be consequences. https://t.co/IF4hjuIG9X
— Scott Ellis (@ScottESanDiego) July 28, 2018
San Diego Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez-Fletcher blamed the closing on Donald Trump.
Just another @realDonaldTrump tragedy. I’m not even joking…this is what happens when you can’t find enough qualified taco cooks. pic.twitter.com/1yiwJHhDhr
— Lorena (@LorenaSGonzalez) July 26, 2018
Rumors quickly swirled that workers were deported or walked off the job, but Hernandez explained to the Union Tribune that Tacos El Gordo recently opened a new spot in Chula Vista, and that demand for cooks there was so high that they had to pull in the staff from the now closed location.
In order to reopen the spot on Palm Avenue, the restaurant will have to hire 10 taqueros. The restaurant says they tried to fill the positions with a radio commercial announcing the job openings, but it didn’t work.
The job pays $15 per hour and those skilled in burrito making need not apply.
“Cooks have applied. People who know how to make burritos. But that’s not what we’re looking for. It takes skill to cook carne asada and adobada,” Hernandez told the paper of the requirements for a taquero. “They need at least three years of experience.”
