We’re a Taco Shop — and So Much More

A reflection on small business ownership, community, and what it takes to keep an independent taco shop going.

From the outside, F’n K Tacos is a taco shop. That part is true.

But if you’ve spent any time here—whether behind the counter, at a table, or just grabbing take-out—you know this place is about more than just tacos.

It’s about people. It’s about stories. It’s about the moments shared here.

The Reality of Running a Small, Independent Food Business

At the end of 2024, we didn’t know what the future held for our business. Running a small, independent food business has only gotten harder—rising food costs, rising labor costs, supply issues, and the constant pressure to do more with less. We’re not backed by investors. There’s no safety net. Everything we’ve built has been bootstrapped, step by step.

Going into 2025, we put everything we had on the line. We crossed our fingers and somehow kept going. That’s the reality of small business ownership—especially in food. It doesn't just cost money (though that's a BIG factor). It also costs time, energy, relationships, and a huge piece of yourself.

What followed was a year that reminded us why we keep going.

What 2025 Looked Like for Our Taco Shop and Community

Looking back now, knowing the obstacles we faced yet all that came to us, it feels a little surreal that our year included all of this:

• A visit from MeXo's Chef Oscar Moreno, Grand Rapids Magazine's 2024 Restaurant of the Year (and one of our all-time favorite places to dine in Grand Rapids)

• A family celebrating a new U.S. Citizenship

• Being featured in Rockford Neighbor's Magazine

• Catering the grand opening of the long-awaited new location of The Rockford Bike Shop

• Putting on Rockford's 3rd Annual Cinco de Mayo Block Party and being featured on Fox17 and WoodTV 8

• Hosting our first Rockford Chamber of Commerce After Hours

• Visits from family and friends from California, including Frank's former colleagues

• Catering a beautiful fall wedding!

• Our first real (much needed) vacation since we were married in 2016

We celebrated milestones, shared losses, laughed a lot, and built memories we’ll carry with us long after this year. That’s what 2025 gave us.

Why Sustainable Growth Matters for Small Businesses Like Ours

When we talk about wanting to grow, it’s not about being the biggest or doing everything for everyone. We’ve never believed in that.

Growth matters because sustainability matters. And sustainability is what allows us to give back—to our team and to the Rockford community. It enables us to continue to iterate and improve, to recruit and bring on key team members, to expand our menu and so much more. It ties back to why we started what's now become the Annual Cinco de Mayo Block Party.

The more stable and successful this business becomes, the more we can show up for others. That’s always been the goal.

Still Here. Still Grateful.

We’re proud of what we’re building. We’re grateful we’re still here. And we don’t take a single part of this for granted.

We’re a taco shop. But we’re also a collection of shared moments, real connections, and a community that continues to show up for us—especially when it matters most.

Thank you for being part of our story.

❤️🌮 Oh! One last note of gratitude. Holding a 4.9-star Google rating with more than 200 reviews means more to us than we can say—we’re incredibly proud of it.

If you’ve taken the time to share a great experience, thank you! We read every review, and your words help others find their way here. And if you’ve ever shared feedback in person when something wasn’t right and given us the chance to make it right, thank you for that, too. We’d always rather have the opportunity to fix a mistake and show you how we've earned that 4.9-star rating.