Troy Shantz
A new Sarnia business is setting up not one, but two taco trucks around town this summer.
Mad Tacos will have one mobile kitchen stationed at Canatara Park for the beach-going crowd and another at Valley Axe on London Line.
The venture is a product of three city friends — Chad Pelchat, Dan Romphf, and Marc Piquette — and their goal is to broaden diversity in local dining options.
“I’ve never spoken to anyone who said, ‘I hate tacos,’” said Piquette.
“The fry (truck) thing is never going to go away, people are always going to get excited about that, right?” added Romphf. “It’s just something new, different, and hopefully people like it.”
During beer and brainstorming sessions the trio tossed around starting a glow-in-the-dark mini-golf course, a brewery, and a themed sports bar, which according to Romphf, “still might be on the table.”
The guys confirmed the potential of tacos during last summer’s Powerboat Festival. They manned a taco tent at the corner of George and Front streets and “moved a tonne” of the Mexican staple, despite rainy conditions, Piquette said.
“We found the truck and one thing kinda lead to another,” said Pelchat.
They took the idea to City Hall and discovered nobody had bid on the concession licence available for Canatara Beach this year.
Each of the three has a 25% stake in the company, and the remaining shares have been offered to their close-knit group of friends.
Piquette, who owns Sarnia-based Piquette Frozen Meals, is developing a menu featuring salads and fish, shrimp, beef and vegan tacos, relying heavily on organic, locally sourced ingredients.
Nachos and homemade salsa will be available, along with dessert tacos in chocolate and apple-cinnamon taco shells.
Pricing is still being worked out but an eight-inch taco will be around $5.50.
The Mad Tacos logo features a large Tom Selleck-esque mustache they plan to mount on the truck front grills.
The flagship vehicle is a bright orange rig formerly owned by Milton Hydro and outfitted by Food Trucks Canada. The second rig was sourced locally and purchased after Valley Axe offered the guys another spot to set up shop.
The trucks expect to be rolling in July and will appear at special events, including a mixed martial arts date at the Station Music Hall on July 22.