7 Questions You Should Ask Before Hiring a Taco Man

The Taco Man is becoming a very popular catering service, but with that growth, it is attracting lots of unqualified taco guys that can spoil your event!

To protect yourself from hiring the wrong taco service, I put together these 7 questions you should ask before hiring a taco man.

These questions came about because of conversations I’ve had, over the years, with many of my catering clients and their experiences when using random taco men.

The biggest obstacle for you as a consumer is that you won’t find out if you hired the right one until the event, and by then it’s too late!

So how can you prevent this and instead are able to know that the Taco Man you’re hiring is the right one?

Well, just make sure you ask these 7 questions the next time you are in need of some taco cart catering services.

#1 Can we schedule a Tasting before I make my decision?

If this will be your first time hiring a Taco Man then tasting their food beforehand is essential. You don’t want to find out that their food is horrible during your event!

If any Taco Man has a problem with scheduling a tasting, view this as a BIG CLUE that they might not be providing you the best tasting food or quality.

Here at Elegante Catering and the Taco Specialist, are so confident that we are the best, we  encourage you to set a tasting appointment before you decide to hire us!

#2 Is the Taco Man and anyone else who will be serving food in my event have Food Handlers Cards and are they up to date?

Handling food is a very important and delicate task. Anyone who handles food should be certified and following the health departments rules.

Make sure that you and all your guests will be protected, the day of your event, by hiring someone with experience in all food handlers codes.

This can or is one of the most important questions you should ask.

If you hire a Taco Man who is serving without knowing the regulations, you are risking that people in your event may get sick, get the stomach runs or even worst… potential death!

I know this might be a bit harsh, but it is possible.

This is why we require everyone on our team to have a Food Handlers Card, NO EXCEPTION! Plus we take extra precautions to ensure that everyone follows all rules and regulations!

#3 When do you buy all of your product and when do you start prepping?

When it comes to food you want to make sure it’s fresh! The fresher the better, that’s our motto!

Meats are specially delicate and time sensitive. You want to make sure that your Taco Man is purchasing their meats from reputable and registered vendors.

Ask them about the stores or who they are using to purchase their meats and produce.

We always purchase our meats and produce from Restaurant Depot or Registered approved vendors. Then we always make sure to hand pick all of the product we will use for our events.

Our preference is to purchase everything we will need for a catering event the day of the event, if possible. If the event will be staring early in the day, we will choose to purchase our product the day before and keep it refrigerated until ready for prepping.

#4 Do you do this as a Part time thing or is this what you do full time?

There are many “Taco Men” who do this only on a part time basis. This does not mean that they do not know or will not do a good job, but be careful as to the amount of dedication they will have to you and your event.

There have been many stories I have heard from clients telling me about their previous experiences with some taco men.

For instance, some have told me that they cancelled on them just a couple of days before the event. Others have shared with me that their Taco Man never showed up and took off with their deposit!

I have also heard of Taco Men who do this part time and have to take their 5 and 7 year old children!

I fully understand that people must make a living, but there is a difference of service and quality, when you hire someone who is doing this as a serious business.

Yes, here at Elegante Catering & The Taco Specialist this is all we do. This is our full time business. We cater 24/7, 365!

#5 How do you keep your Hot Foods at the correct temperatures?

Here is another very important question that, if the answer is right, will make sure your guests leave and stay in a great mood!

According to the health department all hot food must stay out of the Temperature Danger Zone!

Wat is the Temperature Danger Zone?

Bacteria grows most rapidly in the range of temperatures between 40 °F and 140 °F, doubling in number in as little as 20 minutes. Anything in between these temperatures is considered the Temperature Danger Zone!

Every good caterer must have a system to keep all hot food above 140 °F, plus carry a calibrated thermometer to measure the temperature of all food.

We use full size chafers and blue chafing fuel to keep all our food piping hot! We also calibrate all our thermometers before leaving to a catering job and take the temperature every 30 minutes.

#6 Is there anything that you will need me to provide you on the day of your event?

Let me keep this simple. There are many things that every taco man needs, but they should not be provided by you.

We believe that you are hiring us so that you can enjoy a worry free event. You should not have to provide your caterer with canopies, tables or anything else.

For instance, we take to every event everything that will be needed to provide the highest quality taco catering service. We take all our own serving and prep tables, canopies, spoons and such.

We believe that one of the main reasons why you may Decide to Hire us, is the convenience of not having to Cook, Serve or Clean!

#7 How long will my guests be waiting to be served

This answer will depend on the number of guests you have in your event and the Taco Man that is there to serve. If he or she and their team know what they are doing you should experience an even flow.

Ask your Taco Man what their process is, based on the number of guests you are planning on having.

In our years of experience, we have put together different systems for different amounts of guests. 80 to 100 or less guests require a different set up than over 100 guests. Yet we have designed each setup to move the serving line as fast as possible.

We have catered events as small as 80 to as large as over 400 guests and all always within 45 minutes to an hour!

A key point is in the set up and the amount of staff that are there to serve.

In Conclusion

I hope these 7 questions allow you to hire a taco man with more confidence and have your event go exactly how you are envisioning it.

Remember that a professional caterer will always be open to as many questions you may have. At least for me, I have spend many hours just answering clients questions, through face-to-face, email, over the phone or text.

This is your special event, and you should have all your questions answered, these are just 7 of the most important questions. In my professional opinion.

If you are searching for a taco man, and you are in the San Bernardino County, Riverside County, Los Angeles County or Orange County, Hire the best… The Taco Specialist!

Check out our Taco Cart Menu and see which of our 3 Packages is right for you.

Do you have a question that is not asked here?

Post it in the comments below and I’ll answer it.

Please share this with anyone who you know is currently searching for a Taco Man.

Thank You!

Nestor Nidome

P.S. If you have any other questions I haven’t addressed here or would like a quote call (909) 559-1561 and ask for me personally, Nestor. I’ll be happy to be of any assistance.