RICHMOND, Va. — Paulo Bermudez has transformed his career path from working at Tesla to operating a walking taco food truck called El Mecatero, which he opened earlier this year in Richmond.
Bermudez’s shift to food followed his layoff from Tesla.
"Tesla is a great company, but they do start making cuts and I was, I was one of the unfortunate ones," he said. "But the Lord always has a new direction for me. So I took it as you know, a rejection means a new direction."
His food truck is located outside a gas station at the intersection of Glenside and Staples Mill roads in Henrico's West End.
El Mecatero’s concept is inspired by the Alexandria-based food truck Flavor Hive and trending social media food videos.
"The walking taco has been in Mexico for about 30, 40 years and I love Mexican food, right? But then this particular video came up in Alexandria, Virginia," Bermudez explained. "I said, This is unbelievable. This is amazing, right? And I said, we have nothing like this in Richmond. I don't want to drive two hours get stuck in traffic sometimes."
Customers provide a bag of chips, which Bermudez then fills with their choice of taco meats and toppings.
Watch: Brendan King tests out Paulo Bermudez's walking taco
Although he has been open for just about a month, Bermudez has already garnered a loyal customer base.
The joy of running his own business has been life changing for Bermudez.
"It's freedom. You come in here, you get to do what you love. And I really enjoy seeing people's faces when they try our food. A lot of our customers are out here, and once they get that first second bite, they start dancing. They do a little shimmy, shimmy, you know, and, and it's wonderful," he said.
Watch: Why Paulo Bermudez brought the walking taco truck to Richmond
El Mecatero operates Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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