Taqueria Santa Cruz Express is now open between Domino’s Pizza and Milk In It on Foothill Boulevard.
Gonzalo Hernandez, co-owner of Taqueria Santa Cruz with his brother Victor, said he hopes the new location will level out their customers. He said he expects the Foothill location to be busy with college students from Cuesta College and Cal Poly, while he said he expects their original location will be filled with more families.
The location was initially expected to be open by December 2018, but was delayed due to kitchen equipment installations and completing inspections.
Dulce Perez, who worked as a cashier during the location’s grand opening, said they opened at 5 p.m. and were busy until the shop closed at 10 p.m. The following day they were just as swamped with customers going in and out all day she said.
The Hernandez brothers hired more employees and chefs for the additional location, working to enlist a more diverse group of employees.
“We have women working at the cash registers now because we realized we only had [men] before and we wanted to change that,” he said.
Biological sciences sophomore Katie O’Meara and liberal studies sophomore Elena Elliot went to the new location, where they ordered their usual burritos and enjoyed chips and salsa..
“[The new location] is right next to our apartment and right next to Milk In It so I get my boba as well. It’s a lot more convenient,” O’Meara said.
The new Taqueria Santa Cruz location has the same menu as the original, but Hernandez said they will add new items in the future. They also plan to add outdoor tables and chairs once the seating permission gets approved, similar to the downtown restaurant’s atmosphere.
“We love the whole community’s support” Hernandez said.