Every year food carts that want to serve on the capitol or library mall have to be judged by 20 food cart reviewers to rate if your cart is among the best of Madison and can serve in these coveted locations. Food cart reviewers have these three categories to judge upon: Food score, Apparatus and Originality. This is a week long process for existing carts, while new carts are voted on one day.
We have received the final results and El Grito Taqueria was ranked 49 out of 60 in the annual Mall Concourse Food Cart Review. As it stands, we were not ranked high enough based on our food, apparatus or originality to potentially maintain a capitol loop vending location for next year. We have attached the evaluations and final rankings of all food carts for your viewing:
As you can see, food cart rankings are based on a average of each reviewers score with the highest and lowest scores removed. With some carts having 15 scores and others having 8, this not a fair statistical assessment to be based upon. Seniority points also play a huge part, with some vendors having 7 points added to their final score.
El Grito has had features on food sites like Eater, local spotlights in publications like the Isthmus, Brava, Madison Magazine and the Capitol Times. Ranking second best food cart in the 2016 Isthmus Annual Manual, as well as 5 star reviews on Yelp and Facebook there is a disconnect from the food cart evaluations and public perception.
We use and source the highest products available in Southern Wisconsin, sourcing our proteins from Underground Meats and vegetables from farms like Roots Down Farms. Restaurants like Forequarter, Sujeo, Sardine, Tempest, Merchant and Lucille use these same quality meats and source vegetables from local farms.
There is a missconception that Mexican food is cheap. Our focus is on tacos, a food we will continue to specialize in and serve on the streets of Madison. We will continue to use the taco as a creative vehicle turning out new iterations and creations. Our whole brand is inspired by taquerias on the streets of Mexico, or taco trucks roaming the streets of Los Angeles. A taco can be used for any culture or cuisine, a vehicle for your own creativity.
From Duck Confit to Roasted Cauliflower, we will continue to bring you new and inspiring dishes. We're finishing up our outdoor vending season, but will continue to do indoor pop ups and collaborations. This winter we have trips planned for Mexico, Texas, California and a few others in-between. As you know, these trips are meant to give us inspiration for next years menu and we're excited to share with you our experiences.
We'll continue to keep you updated on our outdoor vending locations for next year. Thanks again for the continued support.