Humble, Texas — Elias Aviles spent more than 20 years working in other people's restaurants before he saved enough money to open his own food truck. El Torito Taqueria was born in Humble, Texas, just outside of Houston.
Starting the business was his way of leaving a legacy behind for his children, but when the pandemic hit, people stopped coming. Over the weekend, Elias called his daughter, Giselle, and explained he was closing early after making just $6 dollars all day.
Giselle turned to social media for help and her Twitter plea has been retweeted more than 10,000 times. "I had to explain, they were coming," she told CBS News.
By Monday, there was a line, and the customers keep coming. "There were so many people, and (my dad) was kind of shocked because he didn't think there would be a turn around that quickly," Giselle told CBS affiliate KHOU.
The family had owned a restaurant but were forced to downsize after the economy crashed in 2008. Aviles eventually improvised by opening the food truck about six years ago, KHOU reported.
"It feels amazing because I was just trying to just help him," Giselle told the station. "Just being able to do something that's going to give him business right now, that's going to get him known."