Chances are, you already know the story of Teodoro Jimenez, a National City taquero who became viral after a local TikToker bought all his tacos, gave them away for free, and left a $1,000 tip in January. Now, thanks to that viral TikTok, Jimenez is a proud owner of a food truck, a dream he has worked towards for 25 years.
"Believe me, I didn't expect it; my dreams, I thought were never going to come true, that they were never going to be realized," said Jimenez who could not believe that now he could serve his customers from his very own food truck.
"It's much more comfortable here. That’s the truth. Much more comfortable," he acknowledged from the parking lot on the corner of N Highland Avenue and Epsilon Street in National City.
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This corner is the same place where Jesus Morales, "@juixxe" on TikTok, found him in January and paid for all the tacos that night and managed to sell out in an hour, before also leaving Jimenez a $1,000 tip.
In the now viral video, Jimenez said he would save that money to turn his taco stand into a food truck. After a couple of months, Morales raised nearly $50,000 through a GoFundMe campaign and gave it to Jimenez to buy his food truck.
"The truth is that I did not think it would reach this point, but it gives me great joy because seeing Teodoro, his family and the business moving forward is a blessing and I hope it continues like this," Morales explained, about the gesture of kindness.
Meanwhile, Jimenez thanked the community that came together to help him and give him that great help that now allows him to fulfill his dreams, "Thank you for blessing me. I feel very blessed, and I also want to bless you."
In addition to community support, Teodoro and his family attribute the success of their taqueria to the good seasoning and secret ingredients of their tacos.
"Made fresh, with love, and they're cheap," said Maday Jimenez, daughter of the viral taquero.
Now the family continues to satisfy the stomachs of its customers with its new restaurant on wheels where they can order tripe, carne asada, cabeza, birria tacos and the taco “borracho” which is their specialty.
Local TikToker Supports Street Vendors
This story was originally reported by NBC 7's sister station, Telemundo 20. To read the article, click here.
