The Scoop: Hot Aztec to open a brick-and-mortar in Fenton

The bright fuchsia food truck Hot Aztec is putting down roots at its new brick-and-mortar location at 1914 Bowles Ave., in Fenton.

Co-owners Rob and Dana Gardaphe have used the space as its commissary to prepare food since their mobile Mexican eatery first started rolling in January 2012. “We became the owners of it when Russell’s Cafe left … so we decided to expand as well,” Dana said. “When we first got into the business, our goal was to open a restaurant, but with the economy … it was more feasible to do a truck first.”

The venue will operate as a lunch spot Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The space holds seating for up to 30 patrons, but Gardaphe expects the new restaurant to serve largely as an easy carry-out option for Fenton-based businesses. “There’s a lot of opportunity in the industrial park behind us and in Maritz, which is less than one mile from us,” she said. The Gardaphes also plan to expand Hot Aztec catering operations.

Menus for both the Hot Aztec truck and restaurant will be the same, with rotating specials, though Gardaphe said she hopes to debut some new items and bring back a few customer favorites that had been retired. Hot Aztec officially opens Monday, Aug. 19, and for the first week or two, the Gardaphes will focus their attention on the new location. But truckies can rest assured that Hot Aztec’s mobile unit will hit the gas again by early September.

This article appears in August 2013.