How A Young Couple Built A Beloved Taco Spot Through Consistency, Creativity, And Community Support

Craving a story as satisfying as a great taco? We sit down with Berenice Longoria of The Taco Stop to trace a 13-year journey from a street cart on College and Oak to a full restaurant that opened in the middle of COVID—powered by grit, community, and standout flavors that honor heritage and spark curiosity.

We talk candidly about what the restaurant grind really looks like: thin margins, long hours, and the unglamorous work of staying consistent when competitors line the block. Berenice shares why the mobile years offered flexibility, how a brick-and-mortar raised the stakes, and how their loyal neighbors showed up when shutdowns hit. She also opens up about building a business with her spouse, balancing different work styles, and protecting the relationship that fuels everything. The conversation moves from resilience to creativity as we dig into the menu: signature specialties like pastor gringas and the Azteca tacos with grilled nopal, chorizo, and asadero, plus a rotating Taco of the Month that recently featured shrimp and sausage with an apple chimichurri twist.

We also cover practical visibility—anchoring the new location at 2601 South Le May Avenue in the Scotch Pines plaza, next to Starbucks—and the channels that keep them connected, especially Instagram and Facebook. Throughout, the theme stays clear: The Taco Stop isn’t a franchise; it’s a family-run team with a sharp logo, a clear why, and a mission to serve great food and the community that believed in them from day one. If you’re in Fort Collins, come hungry and start with the Azteca. If you’re listening from afar, you’ll find a playbook for consistency, creativity, and staying human in a tough industry.

Enjoy the story, share it with a friend who loves local food, and if it resonated, subscribe, leave a review, and tell us your go-to taco order.

Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place
where local businesses andneighbors come together.
Here's your host, Nick George.

SPEAKER_02 (00:11):
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast.
Are you in need of some verytasty tacos?
Well, some might be closer thanyou think.
Today I have the great pleasureof introducing your good
neighbor, Bernice Longoria.
Berenice.
I tried it.

SPEAKER_00 (00:29):
You did.

SPEAKER_02 (00:30):
I took two years of Spanish and still messed it up.
How are you doing?

SPEAKER_00 (00:33):
Good, thank you.
It's okay.
Bernice is fine.

SPEAKER_02 (00:36):
Tell us all about the taco stop, Bernice.

SPEAKER_00 (00:39):
Yeah, so hi.
My name is Berenice Longoria.
Um, I'm originally from Texas.
My husband's from Mexico City.
We started the taco stop in2012.
I was 19 years old.
He was 22 when we started.
It was just a taco cart downtownFort Collins on the corner of
College and Oak.
Um in 2015, we ended up gettinga trailer.

(01:04):
In 2018, we got a food truck,and in 2020, we opened our first
restaurant during COVID.

SPEAKER_02 (01:10):
Wow.

SPEAKER_00 (01:11):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (01:12):
What got you into food?
What got you into the businessof making good food for people?

SPEAKER_00 (01:16):
That's my husband.
I can't take credit for that,unfortunately.
Um, but when we got married, weboth knew we wanted to have our
own business.
And with his culinary experienceand me, I mean, I didn't have a
lot of business experience, butwhen you're motivated, you want
to learn, you make it happen.
So that's what we did together.
We learned and we keep going.

SPEAKER_02 (01:36):
Awesome.

SPEAKER_00 (01:37):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (01:38):
What are some myths or misconceptions in the food,
in the in the food business, oreven in the taco uh business?

SPEAKER_00 (01:46):
I think just in the food business, people think
you're making bank.
In reality, you're just bustingyour butt, you know, you're
literally just working all thetime.
And I'm pretty sure it might belike that in any business, but
especially in the restaurantbusiness, it's it's a really
hard business to be in.
Um, I feel when we had thetruck, the cart, and the
trailer, it was a little biteasier, right?

(02:07):
If it was bad out the weather,we had the ability to take some
time off, and we didn't have tobe there now.
It's just consistency.
You have to be consistent withyour product, with your service,
with everything.
And there's just so manyrestaurants around, and you want
to, you know, keep somethingthat people want to come eat and
and people want to come in andhang out.

(02:27):
So maintaining that is hard, butI think it all goes back to me
and Cesad and and why westarted, why we did this, and
why we continue to do it.

SPEAKER_02 (02:40):
What um where where exactly are you guys in town?

SPEAKER_00 (02:43):
Yeah, so we are we just moved to a new location
last year.
We are at 2601 South Le MayAvenue by the Sprouts off Drake
and LeMay.
I don't know if you're familiarwith the area.
Okay, yes.
Yeah, we're right next to theStarbucks.
The moment I say that, everybodyknows where we're at.
So we're in that shopping plaza,the the Scotch Pines.

SPEAKER_02 (03:03):
Nice.

SPEAKER_00 (03:03):
Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 (03:04):
Um, and so what are some uh what are some uh ways
that you guys reach out topeople digitally to connect?
Um, or do you market yourselfdigitally?
And and and I guess um how farout is your reach?

SPEAKER_00 (03:21):
So good question.
I have a question for you.
By digital, you mean like socialmedia?
Sorry, I know it might be asilly question.

SPEAKER_02 (03:26):
Yeah, I mean like in the old days it was word of
mouth and flyers, and uh, butanything involving a computer
and getting in front of peoplewith screen time, uh, what are
you guys doing?

SPEAKER_00 (03:35):
I think mostly it is social media.
Um, I would say Facebook andInstagram.
Um, I focus more on Instagramfor some reason.
I like it more than Facebook.
I don't even have a Facebook,um, but we do a lot more of
Instagram.
I try TikTok, making videos ishard, takes a lot of time.
I'm a mom now, so I don't reallyhave that time or patience

(03:55):
anymore like I used to.
You know, I have to be like 100%when I'm with my baby, so I I
don't do TikTok as much, but Iwould say we do a lot of
Instagram mostly and Facebook.

SPEAKER_02 (04:07):
Nice.
Um have you ever thought aboutpodcasting?

SPEAKER_00 (04:12):
I have not, no.
One time we did do one a longtime ago.
I don't think it's availableanymore.
It was off, it was with ourfriend, um, I don't know if you
know them, Tiffany from Stuffedand Lauren from Snack Attack.
More bacon, please.
I think that's what it wascalled.
It was the first time we everdid a podcast, but my husband

(04:32):
did it with me, and that waspretty fun.

SPEAKER_02 (04:34):
What do you think is the most unique dish that um
that people should come try atyour at your uh restaurant?

SPEAKER_00 (04:41):
So I would say preferably try everything,
right?
But and we are taco stop.
My and I think you can findreally good street tacos
anywhere, but what really setsus apart is our specialty tacos,
the ones that Cesar reallyfocuses on.
That that would be like thepastor gringas, the azteca
tacos, those are one of myfavorites.

(05:02):
Those have grilled cactus.
Have you ever tried cactusbefore?

SPEAKER_02 (05:06):
No, I think I've drank a little, but no.

SPEAKER_00 (05:08):
Okay, okay, yeah.
So it's grilled nopal, which iscactus, and then it's got some
chorizo, asadero, cheese, andand those are one of my
favorites.
Um, we actually released thoseas a taco of the month.
Every month we have a new taco,and we released it, and it was
really special to him because hebrought it out during during
Hispanic Heritage Month.

(05:29):
Those are um flavors that hegrew up with, and he decided I'm
gonna keep this one on the menu.
So it's been a hit since wereleased it.
I think it was 2022 or 21 whenwe brought that one.
Another one that I really like,and it won't be here for long.
It's uh taco of the month thatwe have right now.
It's a sausage, um, shrimp andsausage with apple chimichuri.

(05:52):
It sounds weird because it's anapple chimichuri, but it is so
good.
I don't know how he gets hisideas.
Um, I'm sad that this taco isleaving.
We'll have it for about a weekand then it'll be gone.
But hopefully he'll bring itback maybe in the summer.

SPEAKER_02 (06:04):
You're making me hungry.

SPEAKER_00 (06:06):
Oh, please, you should come try that one.

SPEAKER_02 (06:08):
Bernice, um, not everybody has had a perfect life
as a business owner.
Is there something that, um, andmaybe you've already answered
this question a little bit, butyou can go deeper here if you
like.
Um, is there something that thatwas a challenge that you had to
overcome in your life that madeyou stronger, that made you the
person, the resilient businessowner that you are today?

SPEAKER_00 (06:30):
I think in life in general, we all go through
something.
I think one of the biggest,besides COVID, one of the other
challenges that we had is, youknow, I am married to my
business partner, right?
You know, we we were young,we're we grew up together, we're
still growing up together, andjust knowing how to keep work at

(06:51):
work and focus on ourrelationship because at the end
of the day, we're still married,you know.
Um, I think accepting the factthat we we're just so different,
we work so different, and andlearning how to work together
has been a challenge.
And and I admire people thathave business partners, but

(07:11):
working with your spouse, it's alot.
Um, that would be a challenge.
And then of course, you know,we're Latino a lot of the times,
you know, it's it's like it'sscary.
You don't know with everythinggoing on.
It's like you don't know ifpeople are gonna want to come
and support your business.
Um, and and we work really hardto to be open, to open our

(07:33):
doors, to give jobs, and to behere for the community, and and
we just wanna do what we love.
And serving food, serving ourcustomers, serving the community
is something that we reallyfocus on.
COVID was another one thatreally got us bad.
Um, you know, we went throughtwo, three shutdowns, we were
freshly new, and I feel ifpeople wouldn't have known us

(07:54):
from previous years, I don'tthink we would have made it.
Um, we're very grateful that westarted slow and we built that
community.
And the moment we opened ourdoors during COVID, people were
showing up.
People showed their support andthey still do.
Um, but I I think being youngand going through COVID, and you
know, I'm a dropout, you know, II didn't finish school and and I

(08:19):
had to learn everything on myown.
I it's it's a challenge, but youdon't give up.
You you keep your why, whyyou're doing this, and and you
just keep going.

SPEAKER_02 (08:30):
That's right.
That's awesome.
So um, what would you what doyou want?
And you may have just answeredthis question.
What what do you want people toreally take away from from this
interview, this this podcast?
Um, what do you want people toremember most about the taco
stop?

SPEAKER_00 (08:46):
Um humble beginnings, you know, we we
didn't have it easy.
We there's a lot of goodresources now.
When we first started, therewasn't a lot of resources,
especially for food trucks orfood carts like there is now, or
restaurants in general.
Um, you know, we we we've workedhard for the past 13 years now.
We again we love what we do.

(09:08):
We love serving great food andand serving our community.
So I really want people to knowthat that's who we are.
We're not a bit company.
People think that it's afranchise, or because of our
logo, somebody made a comment.
Look at their logo, they're afranchise.
We're not.
Um, it's just me, my husband,and and the amazing team that we
have that work hard every day tokeep going.

SPEAKER_02 (09:28):
It's got a name that could go big fast.
It's simple and it pops, right?

SPEAKER_00 (09:31):
Yeah.
I love the logo.
That was my husband, 100%.

SPEAKER_02 (09:35):
What are all the ways that people can find you
online uh and with a phonenumber?

SPEAKER_00 (09:40):
Yeah, so you can find us.
We have our website, thetacostopfoko.com.
Um, we're located at 2601 SouthLa May Avenue, suite number 30.
Our phone number is970-281-2313.
You can find us on Facebook,Instagram.
We do have a TikTok.
We don't really post a lotthere, but yeah, that's where
you can find us.

SPEAKER_02 (10:00):
Well, Bernice, we really appreciate you being on
the show, and we wish you andthe taco stop the very, very
best moving forward.

SPEAKER_00 (10:07):
Thank you, Nick.
I really appreciate your timeand thank you for having us.

SPEAKER_01 (10:11):
Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor
Podcast.
To nominate your favorite localbusinesses to be featured on the
show, go to gmpfortcollins.com.
That's gmpfortcollins.com orcall nine seven zero four three
eight zero eight two five.