I've been to this taco stand & never had a problem. But after getting a carne asada quesadilla and…read morecarne asada taco ($16), that I was unable to eat, because the meat tasted like gas. I had ingested several bites of it, (with hot sauce), but I couldn't take another bite. The meat was chemically contaminated & I got sick not long after for the whole night.
It was important for me to tell the person that runs the stand. I had the best of intentions to help this business and wanted nothing in return. I walked up to the stand & asked the woman who takes the cash, (with the sharp eyebrows), if I could please speak to the person in charge, (or owner). At first she ignored me & then said, "I don't understand - no speak English." I asked who speaks English and she sent me to the back of the line by the cooks. I stood there for another 10 minutes and no one wanted to talk to me or answer my question. I told them that there was a big problem with their meat the night before & had brought back the entire meal, so they could try the meat. No one did anything except talk to each other in Spanish, (which I understood). The cook graciously offered me a replacement meal & tried to problem solve. The tall man, who spoke English, (as shown next to cashier Karen in the photo), was going to give me a replacement meal. I waited 15-20 minutes. I asked for the chicken quesadilla, and the vitriol that came out of cashier Karen, who said she didn't speak English was unbelievable. She refused to give me any food and said I had to pay $6 for the replacement taco. I tried to tell her that it was a replacement and she kept yelling aggressively at me and said, "no - you pay $6. You're not getting anything " and that I, "never bought any taco." She became
angry and verbally abusive because I was getting a replacement meal, as a solution to my getting chemically poisoned. She was a bully and aggressively yelling at me to humiliate me in front of the other customers & personnel. By this time she had no problem speaking English. (A group of young ladies started talking to me, felt bad that I was the focus of cashier Karen's rudeness. They complimented me & wished me a good night.) The guy next to cashier Karen handed me the bag with the quesadilla. I asked cashier Karen for her name and she ignored me. Then I asked the guy next to her what her name was and he put his hands together like duck lips and rudely opened and closed his hand at me, (meaning that I'm talking to much) This was extremely inappropriate & as soon as I left, I threw the food out, because I didn't trust or hold it past any of them to have put something nasty in my food. By the way, there was never a possibility that I would be refunded. By this time I was so upset, I was sorry that I had generously tipped them the night before. Even cashier Karen's response to the tip had been of surprise; but then I remembered she had not even acknowledged it or said thank you, after receiving it.
What this staff does not, is that I owned and operated a successful fine dining restaurant & wedding venue for 17 years. I have done consulting for small restaurant businesses, pro bono, in order for the businesses to financially thrive. I know how food is cooked, how it should be stored, when the oil needs to be changed, marketing, accounting, et al., as well as the health dept's requirements, in order to keep the public healthy and well.
What I believe happened to the meat and reason I took my food back to the taco stand; is because they had been out of chicken. Since there was a meat shortage, more carne asada needed to be barbecued quickly. An abundance of lighter fluid was used to quicken the process & it possibly got on the grill, where the meat is placed; and the cooking process started well before the coals were ready.
It shouldn't matter whether you go to a restaurant, food truck or taco stand, customers should be treated with respect, kindness & consideration - and it's called customer service. A customer shouldn't be lied to, yelled at, insulted and humiliated by any employee of the business. It should be run in a transparent and professional manner. I'm 64 yrs young & have never written one negative comment or review about any restaurant. Nor have I ever been treated with such disrespect, malice and ill intent. I felt it important to tell my story because nobody should experience what I did; in eating compromised food and then being made to feel like I did something bad. This is what bullies do and I've never had a problem in clarifying right from wrong, as well as responsibility and accountability.
I didn't have a choice and had to give a star.
