If you stacked up all of the tortillas La Hacienda made in 2011, the pile would be as tall as the Empire State Building … seven times over.
Carlos Yepez, a Mexican immigrant, started La Hacienda Taqueria with his wife after moving from Santa Ana, Calif., to Nashville in 1992.
“We started out with a six-stool taco stand that eventually grew into the full-service restaurant that you see today,” said Yepez. The Nolensville Road eatery now seats 130 people, with many coming in to shop in the attached Hispanic market as well as eat.
The restaurant is also the test kitchen for the La Hacienda Tortilleria plant, which earns $5 million annually and services more than 500 accounts in six Southern states. While they do have plans to move to a larger manufacturing plant in Nashville in the next two years, Yepez says the taqueria and market are still the heart of the local Hispanic community.
“At the end of the day, Nashville is our home,” says Yepez. “[And it’s the same] with our business.”