Two Friends That Took Over a Popular Food Truck Are Finding Success

The Dos Gringos food trucks have been a familiar sight on the streets of Denver since they launched in 2016, but after nearly seven years in operation, the business was taken over by new owners last May.

Lifelong friends Jesse Trujillo and Santino Lochi's interest in the culinary scene started in high school. "We were both born here in the Denver metro area, and both of us graduated from Holy Family High School in Broomfield," Trujillo says. "Santino was one year behind me. [Back then], we talked about owning a restaurant, doing something with food, whatever that meant."

That motivation was inspired by their upbringing. "We have both been in this space for our whole lives," notes Trujillo, whose family has been in the culinary industry for 35 years, while Lochi's family owns the Wishbone, which was founded in 1963 and moved into its current Westminster location in 1994.

Last February, "my wife found this posting for Dos Gringos on Craigslist and said, 'So there are two food trucks for sale. It's been what you wanted to do, your dream,'" Trujillo recalls. "I knew Santino would be the first person I called. ... It was a long process to finalize the deal, but we did it. These trucks have been going since 2016, and they have a great reputation. We just picked it up, and we're just running with it."

For now, the team is focused on learning all of the original Dos Gringos recipes. "All the marinades and sauces are made from scratch. We're sticking with the same menu for now, but planning on reinventing that — adding quesadillas, adding our pork green chile recipe, adding some other fries, and smothered burritos," says Trujillo.
After picking up the keys to the truck on Cinco de Mayo 2023, the team officially re-launched Dos Gringos on May 13. "It was in the fucking pouring rain. ... We did a CU graduation party and we killed it — it was amazing," says Trujillo. "Minus hitting an electrical post with the truck the first night. That was the biggest hiccup."

"It was a blast," agrees Lochi, who adds that the team has had a pretty smooth run since then, too. "Having worked in this business our entire lives, the only different thing is just the spacing," he explains. "Other than that, it's pretty much the same routine. We get along, we work well together. It's easy, for the most part. Being able to work with your friend and enjoy what you're doing, it's a great time."

Trujillo's favorite item is the carnitas, either in a taco or a burrito. "You know, slow-roasted smoky flavor. Just the combination of ingredients makes carnitas my favorite," he notes.

"I like the steak and chicken tacos, but the fish taco has grown on me, and it's our best seller," Lochi adds. "Recently, we added gringo fries and fried shrimp tacos, and we just did our first breakfast burrito catering."

Next up for the team is operating both trucks so they can do more events on the same day. Currently, Dos Gringos mainly serves at private events, but Trujillo and Lochi hope to find a spot where the truck can regularly post up and serve the masses.

While their ultimate goal is to open a brick-and-mortar restaurant, the two are happy with their new venture and the possibilities in store. "We may not be trained chefs, but we've been in the business and cooked for our entire lives, and we just know how to make food taste good and what it takes, and that's what we're doing," says Trujillo.

For more information, visit dosgringosco.com or follow the business on Instagram @dosgringos_co.