Meet John Graham | Classic Car Enthusiast & Gourmet Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with John Graham and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi John, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I moved to North Texas about 10 years ago and brought my 1965 Lincoln Continental with me as a project car. I am originally from Southern California and have always loved Mexican culture and their food. As my corporate career flourished, COVID-19 required me to work from home for nearly 2 years. I am naturally curious and had more free time to work on my project car without having to commute each day to and from work. I often would take her to car shows and she soon became my daily driver. One thing that I noticed about these car shows, they often had food trucks available and offered their version of Mexican food. Quite honestly, I did not care for their interpretation and missed what I grew up with, Baja style Mexican Tacos. I decided to bring my passions of loving Mexican food and car culture together and went on the journey of creating Hooptie Tacos. It was a long road with many paths, however; after a couple of years perfecting my seasoning and custom building my trailer, I was starting my side business and serving the best tacos east of the Rockies at the car shows I often attended. I have since expanded and serve breweries, school functions, and private parties with great food and an iconic retro platform to serve from.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Hooptie Tacos was born with two key missions. Provide the best tasting SoCal style tacos, with the best ingredients, at a reasonable price to great customers and deliver those tacos in an epic 1965 Lincoln Continental towing a vintage airstream style trailer as an awe inspiring tribute to our past generations. My car is mostly original, with some creature comfort upgrades, however; the drivetrain is stock from 1965 and I still get butterflies when I set out for a function, hoping and praying that she will hold up towing my 3500 pound trailer in the Texas summer without overheating and breaking down. So far, God willing, I have not had to abandon or cancel an event because of issues. She is my rock and has sustained this business as the flagship very well. Outside of the beautiful setup, I originally had a very limited menu. Tacos only until the customers requested quesadillas for their children. I adapted and started to offer quesadillas and soon realized that if I had flour tortillas on the trailer for those quesadillas, I could also make burritos, so I have since expanded my menu to include tacos, quesadillas, and burritos, along with water and different types of soda. I think adapting and listening to your customers is key in achieving success in this business.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I am a home body by nature, but have experienced some great areas north of Dallas. I think I would take them to a local high school football game, when in season, then some brunch and shopping at Legacy West in Plano. They offer great dining and upscale restaurants to choose from. Finally, we would probably go see the cattle run at the Fort Worth Stockyards to give them that iconic experience. If they were in town long enough, I would take them to a car show with my hooptie to show them how many car enthusiasts are here and of course, show off my baby (the Lincoln)

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My wife has always supported my interesting and some would say enthusiastic approach to life. I get an idea, no matter how eclectic, and I devote all of my time to achieving and succeeding in the goal I set. She has helped me focus and keep my head up while things often take turns that we are not prepared for, all the while trusting that I will make the best decisions in support of my bold ideas. She and my family are why I strive to succeed

Website: https://www.hooptietacos.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hooptietacos/?hl=en

Twitter: https://x.com/HooptieTacos

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100095683142288