Marketing

Vitos Tacos talks handling Las Vegas heat, choosing the right events

For food truck owner Victor Gonzalez, operating food trucks is a very difficult, yet very rewarding business, especially when fans recognize the brand on the street just by a branded T-shirt.

Photo: Vitos Tacos

September 23, 2026 by Bradley Cooper — Editor, Connect Media

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Based in Las Vegas, Nevada, Vitos Tacos is no stranger to heat, especially when cooking and serving up birria tacos. For owner Victor Gonzalez, operating food trucks is a very difficult, yet very rewarding business, especially when fans recognize the brand on the street just by a branded T-shirt.

Owners

Victor Gonzalez

Date Founded

April 2020

Location

Las Vegas, Nevada

How many trucks do you operate under this brand?

Three

Do you operate brick-and-mortar locations under this brand as well? How many?

Five restaurants across Las Vegas, Nevada and Burbank, California and three stalls inside Allegiant Stadium.

How did you come up with the name?

Vito is my nickname. There's really no complicated story behind it; it just felt natural, personal, and easy to remember.

What prompted you to start a food truck?

I lost my job during COVID, and it gave me the push to finally follow my passion for food. We started the food truck without knowing exactly where it would take me. What started as a way to pursue something I loved somehow turned into something much bigger than I ever expected.

What's on your food truck menu? Why did you choose this cuisine?

We're all about birria: birria tacos, birria fries and pretty much birria everything. The recipe comes from our family, so it's something that has a personal connection to us. At the end of the day, we chose it because we genuinely love it, and we know how good it can be when it's done right.

Do you make all the food on the truck or do you use home-based kitchen or commissary space?

We do our prep in our restaurants as well as at our commissary kitchen. The truck is where we bring everything together and serve it fresh to our customers.

What's the best part of being a food truck operator?

Probably working 24/7 and getting absolutely no sleep. Just kidding… kind of.

Seriously, the best part is everything that comes with being part of the community. We've been able to create jobs, participate in community events, give back and meet so many amazing people along the way. I also genuinely love food, so having customers come back again and again is one of the biggest compliments we can receive. When someone becomes a regular because they love what you're doing, that means a lot.

What's the worst part of operating a food truck?

Probably the Las Vegas summer heat. It gets seriously hot inside and around a food truck, especially when you're already working around grills and hot equipment. It definitely tests you.

What lessons have you learned since launching the truck?

One of the biggest lessons is that you need to be able to rely on your people. You can't do everything yourself, especially as the business grows. Having a great team that you trust is incredibly important, and I'm very lucky to have one.

Is there anything you would have done differently at the start?

There are definitely a lot of things I would do differently now. You learn by making mistakes, and there were plenty of lessons along the way.

When you're starting out small, you tend to say yes to almost every opportunity because you need the business. Today, I'm much more selective. I've learned that not every opportunity is necessarily the right opportunity. But I also wouldn't change the experience. Everyone has to start somewhere, and those early mistakes helped us become better.

Any tips/advice to others thinking of launching a food truck?

Don't do it if you're looking for a great work-life balance!

Running a food truck is a lot more than cooking and serving food. There's an entire business happening behind the scenes: payroll, insurance, permits, maintenance, repairs, equipment breaking down, replacing things, managing people, sourcing products and keeping everything running.

It also takes more money to get started than people often realize. My biggest advice would be to understand what you're getting into, be prepared to work extremely hard, and make sure you have enough financial cushion to handle the unexpected.

If you love food, love people and are willing to put in the work, though, it can be incredibly rewarding.

Do you have any anecdotes about running a food truck — any unique interactions or special events you've been booked at?

We've been fortunate enough to be part of some incredible events. We've been booked for major festivals, including EDC, catered celebrity parties, car rallies and were even featured as part of a TV series.

But honestly, some of my favorite moments happen in everyday life. When our team is walking around Las Vegas wearing VITOS TACOS shirts, people will often stop us and say, "WE LOVE VITO's!" That never gets old. It always puts a smile on my face. Knowing that people recognize the brand, remember the food, and genuinely love what we're doing is one of the most rewarding parts of this whole journey.

About Bradley Cooper

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Bradley Cooper is an experienced editor for Connect Media. He has written across a wide range of beats, ranging from food to digital signage to banking, and is the current editor of ATM Marketplace and Food Truck Operator. His background is in information technology, advertising, and writing. When he’s not crafting a story, you can find him going for a run or spending time with his wife and three sons. 

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