A MARTÍNEZ, HOST:
Barbacoa, brisket and carne asada are taco staples in Texas, but beef prices are on the rise. The number of cattle in the U.S. has dropped to its lowest point in decades. From Houston Public Media, Natalie Weber tells us the state's taco restaurant owners and customers are feeling the pinch.
LUCINEA CANYFER VAZQUEZ: (Speaking Spanish).
NATALIE WEBER, BYLINE: Lucinea Canyfer Vazquez is ringing up a customer at Monchy's, a taqueria in Houston. Her mother owns the restaurant, which opened nearly 20 years ago. Vazquez says beef prices have increased by about $2 a pound since last year. In response, she says, the restaurant has had to increase its prices, including for its Taco Tuesday special.
VAZQUEZ: We increased 50 cents. That hurt my heart, but we had to do it.
WEBER: According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, wholesale beef prices were up nearly 16% from May of this year compared to the same time last year. And the USDA says those prices are expected to increase by more than 9% in 2026. Taqueros across Texas say these price hikes are the latest hit to business amidst a backdrop of rising fuel costs and inflation in general. Kelsey Erickson Streufert with the Texas Restaurant Association says it's harder for these businesses to offset rising costs with higher prices.
KELSEY ERICKSON STREUFERT: They really can only raise that price so much before a big benefit of the taco, which is its affordability, disappears.
WEBER: Mando Rayo, who hosts the "Tacos Of Texas" podcast, says taco trucks in particular are struggling. They can't purchase in bulk in the same way that a taco chain or even a singular brick-and-mortar restaurant could. And Rayo says they're even less likely to raise their prices than traditional stores because they often rely on a small customer base in a specific neighborhood.
MANDO RAYO: They'd rather be loyal to their community and to their neighborhood than to raise prices by even $1.
WEBER: Taco trucks are as much a part of Texas culture as cowboy boots and hats. On a recent Thursday morning, 26-year-old Alonzo Peraza wiped down the counter of his food truck, Trap Tacos. Peraza says he shops at different food suppliers to try to reduce his costs. Still, he hasn't changed his menu or his prices.
ALONZO PERAZA: People come to me for the flavor, for the meat. Yeah, I don't want to change that.
WEBER: Back at Monchy's in East Houston, a steady stream of customers comes in and out of the restaurant between the breakfast and lunch hour rush. Vazquez says she's noticed some customers turning to cheaper options like chicken and pork, but not everyone is changing their order. Jessey Rojas, a regular, says his favorite taco filling is steak fajitas, even with rising prices.
JESSEY ROJAS: If it calls, it calls, but you only live once, and you might as well eat. You know what I mean?
WEBER: And that, he says, is what keeps him coming back.
For NPR News, I'm Natalie Weber in Houston.
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