Tito’s Tacos Returns With Certified Drivers Equipped for Pandemic Delivery

Westside Mexican food legend Tito’s Tacos is opening up once again, proving the coronavirus pandemic can’t keep a good hard-shelled hero down. The staple walk-up stand is set to reopen on June 1, and is putting in place some new considerations not seen in the restaurant’s 60-year history — including delivery.

Starting June 1, Tito’s will provide delivery via a private local service called StreetSmart Messengers only. That means no apps like Postmates or DoorDash, which have been running up high-percentage fees for restaurants even as some worry that drivers aren’t following health and safety protocols. Tito’s employees will also use no-tamper packaging on all its deliveries, and every driver is mandated to have a valid ServSafe food handler’s card. What’s more, reps for the restaurant say that Tito’s ownership is installing a pair of plasma ion currency sterilizers to clean the cash on hand, which is helpful considering the restaurant didn’t even take credit cards until 2018, and still deals mostly in bills. The restaurant will begin takeaway service the same day, with social distancing measures in place.

Oddly enough, Tito’s Tacos, a 60-year walk-up window serving hard-shelled tacos and what may be the best bean and cheese burrito in greater Los Angeles, could end up being a model for future restaurant reopenings. The restaurant’s stated protocols for the June 1 return have so far gone above and beyond both federal and local health and safety guidelines, even as local counties like Ventura and Riverside eye a return to dine-in service.

Tito’s Tacos reopens on Monday, June 1, keeping hours from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.

Tito’s Tacos. 11222 Washington Place, Culver City.