4 minute read
Mercys Tacos | Rapid City South Dakota Food Truck
Thane and Merceedes Jeffries were working 10+ hour days; Thane as a truck driver and Merceedes in HR. On top of their busy careers, their three sons' sports and activities had demanding schedules. Merceedes (better known as Mercy) had begun selling birria tacos on the weekends to make a little cash for the boys' activities.
One evening, after an 18-hour day, Thane came home defeated. He was no longer enjoying his career. "The job became just that, a job," he recalled.
In addition to the long days and a job that no longer fulfilled him, Mercy and Thane felt the frustration of a family not spending time together.
That was when everything changed.
In May of 2022, they decided to go all in on Mercys Tacos. The neighborhood had been supportive of the food on the weekends – word of mouth added to the list of customers each week. What would happen if they took this venture out of the neighborhood?
The beginning
"I don't like cooking…but I'm good at it," laughed Mercy, ironically the head chef of the family taco truck business. Growing up as one of eight siblings, she quickly moved into the motherly role for her siblings when they would visit their dad. "I would just try new things and watch and learn from aunties and other women around."
Fast forward to cooking for her three growing boys, Mexican food was always a family favorite on the menu. This allowed Mercy to perfect the now quite infamous Birria Tacos.
This first summer of Mercys Tacos food truck has not been without its challenges. The first of which was finding a food truck. While waiting for the truck to arrive from Texas, they were able to work out of other
commercial kitchens in town. It was not ideal for serving and cleaning, but it did allow them to build up their tacoloving fan base quickly.
Once they had the wheels, it gave Thane and Mercy the freedom they craved. Throughout the summer, they were often in Thane's hometown region of Eagle Butte and Dupree – and the fans followed. "We had some people who would drive the 2.5 hours from Rapid City to Eagle Butte just to eat our tacos," Thane remarked.
It's All Family
Not only did the taco truck give Mercy and Thane the freedom to create their own schedule, it has also given them back family time – sometimes too much. "We went from barely seeing one another to now driving each other crazy!" said Mercy.
And it's not just the couple. Their sons Rocky (15), Quentin (14), and Chris (12) have also stepped in and played a critical role in the business. While Rocky and Quentin prefer work behind the scenes, making burritos or plating, Chris has become the face of the business.
"I love working for tips," he says with a smile, holding up the day's success. "I had to learn how to smile, and ask nicely." His mom added that his first time at the window was a learning opportunity after he gruffly asked the customer, "what do you want?"
Speed Bumps
Entrepreneurship often means filling multiple roles in the business. In addition to creating the menu items, Mercy is the business's social media manager and accountant. "The taxes have been a lot to learn," Mercy explained. "Each city is different, food and soda are different, it's been a lot."
This, of course, is a challenge that can often be anticipated. Something they didn't expect to struggle with was
just how popular the food would be. "We didn't know people would like it so much," said Thane. "We will have people lining up 30 minutes before we are even open." This has created challenges with lines and wait time. "Everything is made by hand," said Mercy. Maintaining quality while also being fast is not easy.
To thank their loyal customers, Mercys Tacos even has a loyalty card – and it doesn't take long for people to fill their punches and earn a free meal.
"We had one customer come back and told us that he had been thinking about our food all week," said Mercy.
And while South Dakota winters can often be unpredictable, there's one thing you can be sure of: Mercys Tacos will have something hot ready for you.
Connect with Mercys Tacos on social media to find out where they will be next.
Connect with @MercysTacos on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok
Mercys Tacos Birria Tacos Special with rice and beans.
