Southern California taco truck vendor forced out after grocery store threatens legal action

A Southern California taco truck vendor said after serving the local community for over a decade, he’s been forced to leave his usual spot after a Ralphs supermarket banned him from operating nearby.

Rudy Barrientos owns the popular Gracias Señor taco truck and has been serving the residents of Pacific Palisades for many years. His truck is typically parked on the 15100 block of Sunset Boulevard along a row of parking meters on a busy street.

In January, Barrientos received a cease-and-desist letter from a lawyer representing Ralphs, threatening legal action if he did not move his food truck from the spot. The metered sidewalk is located right outside the grocery store.

In November, he received another letter from the grocer, banning him from the supermarket’s premises.

“They banned us from Ralphs saying that we couldn’t use the restroom, we couldn’t shop there, we couldn’t even step foot in the parking lot,” Barrientos told KTLA’s Jennifer McGraw.

The cease-and-desist order claimed Barrientos’ customers were using the store’s parking lot while also accusing his business of “engaging in disruptive behaviors interfering with Ralphs’ business and its customers.”

On a sign visible outside his truck, Barrientos had already posted a message advising his customers to avoid parking in the Ralphs parking lot. Oftentimes, his customers end up visiting Ralphs to purchase extra food and drinks.

But Barrientos said the situation escalated in November when one night, his truck was suddenly surrounded by armed security guards as he was packing up to leave for the day.

“[They would] patrol our trucks constantly,” he said.

The popular taco truck has been serving customers in the Pacific Palisades in the same parking spot for around 10 years. The busy street is home to several other food trucks as well. He operates with the necessary permits and always pays for street parking when he’s conducting his business, he said.

Throughout the ordeal, Barrientos claimed Ralphs asked some of their employees to park in the street, taking away his usual spot and making it difficult to earn a living.

Following threats of legal action, he said the fight with Ralphs just wasn’t worth sacrificing his health or peace of mind.

“More than anything, it was chaotic and it wasn’t something I wanted to be around and we’ve had such great local support so I figured if we moved, people would follow us,” Barrientos said.

He has since moved his truck to Alma Real Drive, a much smaller street tucked behind the main Sunset Boulevard thoroughfare.

He said the move has financially hurt him, with sales plunging about 20%. Loyal customers were equally upset to hear about the situation.

“I think it’s just ridiculous, the whole saga with Ralphs and fighting over the parking lot,” said Daniel Morris, a patron. “[Barrientos] encourages people not to park there, but if they do, it’s not any of his fault.”

Some neighbors, however, said they agreed with the grocery store.

“It’s not the right way to do business when you have stores that are paying rent that really make a community,” said John Palle, a local resident. “These people come, they take and they leave and that’s not fair.”

Gracias Señor has been a dream venture for Barrientos, a proud taquero with a business degree who said he loves serving his customers without any intention of creating trouble.

“To patrol a taco truck that generally just wants to provide some goodness and delicious food, it’s ridiculous,” Barrientos said.

KTLA has reached out to Ralphs for a comment but has not yet heard back.

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