在线英语听力室

美国国家公共电台 NPR--Also hit by inflation? Your local taco truck

时间:2023-07-18 03:14:53

搜索关注在线英语听力室公众号:tingroom,领取免费英语资料大礼包。

(单词翻译)

Also hit by inflation? Your local taco truck

Transcript1

In 1974, Raul Martinez was credited with opening the country's first taco truck. Selling food out of a converted ice-cream truck that he had parked outside of a bar in East Los Angeles, he eventually turned his business into King Taco, a restaurant chain with 22 locations across Southern California.

Since then, food trucks — like the Hollywood Walk of Fame and water crises — have become a feature of Southern California. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, which oversees2 food trucks, told NPR that the city currently has 5,568 food trucks and carts.

Yasmany Mendoza is the owner of Tacos y Birria La Unica, a family-owned food truck based in the Mid-City neighborhood of Los Angeles.

"We specialize in birria. We do beef birria, goat birria, steak, chicken, cabeza. Everything's made with handmade tortillas," Mendoza says.

He reflected on the five years his family has been in business: "We started from the bottom first. We started with a food truck and now we have two. Hopefully in the future we can have a brick-and-mortar3 — thank God with all of our clients that have been supporting us since Day 1."

With more than 164,000 followers4 on Instagram, hundreds of positive reviews online, and a state-of-the-art decommissioned FedEx truck, Tacos y Birria La Unica is what the American dream looks like in practice.

Struggling with higher costs

And like all business owners in pursuit of that dream, the Mendozas are feeling the squeeze of 8.6% inflation — but they're especially feeling California's gas prices, which are currently over $6 a gallon.

Of all the many conveniences food trucks offer over traditional brick and mortar restaurants — lower startup costs, lower overhead — transportation costs aren't one of them. Mendoza estimates that over the past year, he's gone from spending $125 to fill up his tank to around $200.

Matthew Geller is CEO of the National Food Truck Association and he says that "everything's more expensive. It's 75 to 85 cents a mile to drive anywhere. [Food truck owners] are being very careful about how they waste that gas because every dollar that goes into your tank doesn't go into your pocket."

Geller runs a company that helps connect food trucks with catering5 events. "Everyday, I talk to someone that's making a decision about whether to vend6 or not based on how far it is," he says.

Business owners are also feeling the broader effects of inflation overall. The cost of food and key items has gone up, Mendoza says.

"The vegetables, the meat, everything. For example, the oil we use for the food truck used to be worth $20, now it's $40. A box of lemons used to be $20-$25 and now it's like $80. Avocados used to be $30 a box, now it's like $60."

In some ways the solution could be simple: To accommodate rising costs, business owners can raise prices to retain their margins7. But in the world of food trucks, there's another and perhaps equally important economic factor at play: expectations.

Food trucks are known for their convenience and affordability8. Consumers forgo9 the frills of a traditional restaurant in exchange for lower prices.

Morgan Grain, a foodie who lives in downtown Los Angeles, says, "sometimes if I know I want something cheap, I'll go to [my local] taco truck. I can get a good amount of tacos, and nachos, and a pineapple soda10 for like $20 — and that's like two meals."

A balancing act

This confluence11 of factors — higher gas prices, inflation and the overall shock of the pandemic economy — has created a delicate balancing act for Mendoza. He has to be sensitive to the expectations of his customers, but he also has to worry about the bottom line. Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor12 Statistics shows that consumers are paying 7.4% more for food in restaurants compared to last year.

"If you don't raise up your prices, you're not going to make money. But at the same time, you can't raise it too high cause some customers are going to complain," Mendoza says.

One thing Tacos y Birria La Unica won't compromise on is quality. Mendoza still plans to produce his birria tacos with handmade tortillas, freshly cut limes, and the recipe that's been passed down through generations.

"It's the recipe that my mom cooks from birthday parties and all that," he says.

Fortunately for Mendoza, some customers are accepting of price increases and sympathize with the position of business owners.

While waiting for her food, Grain makes her priorities clear.

"If the food's good, I'll definitely pay for it. I understand how my grocery bills are going up. Theirs probably are too," Grain says.

When and if inflation and gas prices will ease is still unknown, but for Mendoza, the path forward is relatively13 simple: "We have to work with what we have."


分享到:


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 transcript JgpzUp     
n.抄本,誊本,副本,肄业证书
参考例句:
  • A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
  • They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。
2 oversees 4607550c43b2b83434e5e72ac137def4     
v.监督,监视( oversee的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • She oversees both the research and the manufacturing departments. 她既监督研究部门又监督生产部门。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The Department of Education oversees the federal programs dealing with education. 教育部监管处理教育的联邦程序。 来自互联网
3 mortar 9EsxR     
n.灰浆,灰泥;迫击炮;v.把…用灰浆涂接合
参考例句:
  • The mason flushed the joint with mortar.泥工用灰浆把接缝处嵌平。
  • The sound of mortar fire seemed to be closing in.迫击炮的吼声似乎正在逼近。
4 followers 5c342ee9ce1bf07932a1f66af2be7652     
追随者( follower的名词复数 ); 用户; 契据的附面; 从动件
参考例句:
  • the followers of Mahatma Gandhi 圣雄甘地的拥护者
  • The reformer soon gathered a band of followers round him. 改革者很快就获得一群追随者支持他。
5 catering WwtztU     
n. 给养
参考例句:
  • Most of our work now involves catering for weddings. 我们现在的工作多半是承办婚宴。
  • Who did the catering for your son's wedding? 你儿子的婚宴是由谁承办的?
6 vend 5f2zVj     
v.公开表明观点,出售,贩卖
参考例句:
  • Hardware Malfunction,call your hardware vend or for support.硬件故障,请让你的硬件提供商提供技术支持。
  • Vend is formal and indicates the selling of small articles.Vend较正式,指出售小件商品。
7 margins 18cef75be8bf936fbf6be827537c8585     
边( margin的名词复数 ); 利润; 页边空白; 差数
参考例句:
  • They have always had to make do with relatively small profit margins. 他们不得不经常设法应付较少的利润额。
  • To create more space between the navigation items, add left and right margins to the links. 在每个项目间留更多的空隙,加左或者右的margins来定义链接。
8 affordability b765fd6126db9695d9d5b74d209e7527     
可购性
参考例句:
  • Performance-Based Logistics Affordability: Can We Afford Categorical Conversion to Performance-Based Acquisition? 基于性能的后期的可承受性:能否担负得起向基于性能的采办的无条件的转变?
  • There would be no crisis of affordability, as't for food or clothing. 就想食物与服装一样,因为供给没有危机。
9 forgo Dinxf     
v.放弃,抛弃
参考例句:
  • Time to prepare was a luxuary he would have to forgo.因为时间不够,他不得不放弃做准备工作。
  • She would willingly forgo a birthday treat if only her warring parents would declare a truce.只要她的父母停止争吵,她愿意放弃生日宴请。
10 soda cr3ye     
n.苏打水;汽水
参考例句:
  • She doesn't enjoy drinking chocolate soda.她不喜欢喝巧克力汽水。
  • I will freshen your drink with more soda and ice cubes.我给你的饮料重加一些苏打水和冰块。
11 confluence PnbyL     
n.汇合,聚集
参考例句:
  • They built the city at the confluence of two rivers.他们建造了城市的汇合两条河流。
  • The whole DV movements actually was a confluence of several trends.整个当时的DV运动,实际上是几股潮流的同谋。
12 labor P9Tzs     
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦
参考例句:
  • We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
  • He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后,他已经疲惫不堪了。
13 relatively bkqzS3     
adv.比较...地,相对地
参考例句:
  • The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
  • The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

本文本内容来源于互联网抓取和网友提交,仅供参考,部分栏目没有内容,如果您有更合适的内容,欢迎 点击提交 分享给大家。