KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A trail challenging you to try some of Kansas City, Kansas', best taquerias is helping minority-owned businesses stay afloat, one crunchy bite at a time.
Visit KCK launched its Taco Trail during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in an effort to help small businesses generate sales during lockdown.
“If you're gonna eat a lot of tacos, it's nice to get up and move around a little bit,” said Celeste Lupercio with Visit Kansas City, Kansas. “KCK is a true melting pot and there really isn't one minority that's, you know, larger than another in this area, but Latinos are about a quarter of the population here”.
More than 50 restaurants are part of the Taco Trail, many of them are owned by Latinos who proudly serve family recipes that have been passed down for generations. One of these generational restaurants is Tarahumaras, which has two locations in the city.
“It’s been a huge help to my business, every corner, if not every other street, there's a lot of taco restaurants,” Tarahumaras owner Perla Garcia said.
Visit KCK also incentivizes people to take part in the trail by offering prizes depending on the number of shops people check out. Prizes include KCK Taco Trail decal, shirts and a chance to have your name included on the Taco Trail Wall located inside Visit KCK’s headquarters.
Bryan Redmond is a self-proclaimed taco enthusiast and is one of the 50 people who have successfully completed the trail.
“You don't have to do it in one day,” Redmond said. “You really taste generations of time honored tradition, mixed with originality and innovation.”
It’s not too late to join in on the challenge, just visit VisitKCK for more information.
