At the intersection of Airport Road and Pepperell Parkway, in the parking lot of AB Tires, a food venue appears every night at 7 p.m. One table and six chairs make up the dining room. It's a place most people know as "the taco truck."
At "the taco truck," which is called Lili's Food, Artemio Trujillo sells tacos, tortas, burritos and quesadillas, along with chips and drinks.
"It takes a lot, you know, for us to come over here and bring clean food," Trujillo said. "We do quality. We try to buy everything from Sam's. That way I know I'm buying good quality meat."
Trujillo said the taco truck has always been a family business.
"My dad's been doing it since '85, back in California," Trujillo said.
The family moved the business to Texas in 1995, and Trujillo said he started working in the concrete business in 2001, but quit in 2009.
"I didn't have no job by that time in Texas," Trujillo said. "So we had the trucks already. I said I'm gonna do the same as I used to do, and I already know how to do it."
Trujillo and his family moved the taco truck to Auburn in April of this year.
"My sister, she married a guy here in Alabama," Trujillo said. "She said there is not that many taco vendors over there. So I said 'OK, I'm going to give it a shot over there.'"
That seems to have been a good decision. Trujillo said he has about 50 customers per night, mostly from the Hispanic community.
One of those customers is Sergio Mata, who said he's been to Lili's Food five or six times.
"I live here in this place, in Midway Manor," Mata said. Midway Manor is right across the street from Lili's Food, so Mata said it's convenient. "I like everything."
Those in the Hispanic community, however, aren't the only ones who have taken an interest in Lili's Food.
Jordan Yarbrough, senior in exercise science, and Daniel Ballew, senior in microbiology, had seen the taco truck in passing and have been to eat there several times.
"It's going to become a regular thing," Ballew said.
Yarbrough said he and Ballew have already started to become friends with Trujillo.
"I think that's what's gonna take us back, the relationships," Yarbrough said.
Both have made it their goal to get the word out about Lili's Food. They have started a Facebook fan page and are hoping to get Trujillo to bring the truck to a party they are planning for October.
"It's a different experience than a restaurant, but that makes it fun," Ballew said.
Yarbrough said the food can compete with other Mexican restaurants because it is authentic. From beef tongue to spicy pork, Lili's Food offers flavors and tastes you won't find just anywhere.
"Sometimes you don't really even know what you're getting," Yarbrough said. "It's really good for people who are adventurous with food."
Considering the growing interest in food trucks in America, especially in bigger cities, Ballew and Yarbrough said having a taco truck with authentic Mexican food is great for Auburn.
"It's kind of cool that Auburn can jump on that bandwagon," Ballew said.
Trujillo said the most important thing in running the taco truck is giving good service to the customer.
"Everybody seems to be real nice here," Trujillo said. "I really like the city. Quiet. Not much traffic."
Trujillo said he would like to have a restaurant one day.
"We're not too familiar with the city yet," Trujillo said. "Eventually, we will open up one, if we can."
In the meantime, Trujillo is working to improve the taco truck business. Lili's Food will soon give way to Lili 2, a new taco truck he just bought from Texas.
"Maybe I'm gonna have two locations, but I'm not sure yet," Trujillo said. He said they will keep the current location, but may also set up the second truck somewhere else.
Lili's Food is open from 7 to 10 p.m., seven days a week.
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