Latest news with #Tex-Mex
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The TACO Presidency
This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. One way to trace the past nine years of Donald Trump is the journey from taco bowls to TACO bulls. (Hey, don't click away! This is going somewhere!) Back in May 2016, the then–GOP presidential candidate posted a picture of himself eating a Trump Tower Tex-Mex entree. 'I love Hispanics!' he wrote. Nearly everyone understood this as an awkward pander. Now, in May 2025, Wall Street is all over the 'TACO trade,' another instance of people realizing they shouldn't take the president at face value. 'TACO' is short for 'Trump always chickens out.' Markets have tended to go down when Trump announces new tariffs, but investors have recognized that a lot of this is bluffing, so they're buying the dip and then profiting off the inevitable rally. A reporter asked Trump about the expression on Wednesday, and he was furious. 'I chicken out? I've never heard that,' he said. 'Don't ever say what you said. That's a nasty question. To me, that's the nastiest question.' The reaction demonstrates that the traders are right, because—to mix zoological metaphors—a hit dog will holler. The White House keeps talking tough about levying new tariffs on friends and geopolitical rivals alike, but Trump has frequently gone on to lower the measures or delay them for weeks or months. Foreign leaders had figured out that Trump was a pushover by May 2017, and a year later, I laid out in detail his pattern of nearly always folding. He's a desirable negotiating foil, despite his unpredictable nature, because he doesn't tend to know his material well, has a short attention span, and can be easily manipulated by flattery. The remarkable thing is that it's taken this long for Wall Street to catch on. Even though no president has been so purely a businessman as Trump, he and the markets have never really understood each other. That is partly because, as I wrote yesterday, Trump just isn't that good at business. Despite much glitzier ventures over the years, his most effective revenue sources have been rent collection at his legacy properties and rent-seeking as president. His approach to protectionism is premised on a basic misunderstanding of trade. Yet Wall Street has never seemed to have much better of a grasp on Trump than he has on them, despite having many years to crack the code. (This is worth recalling when market evangelists speak about the supposed omniscience of markets.) Financiers have tried to understand Trump in black-and-white terms, but the task requires the nuanced recognition, for example, that he can be deadly serious about tariffs in the abstract and also extremely prone to folding on specifics. Although they disdained him during his first term, many titans of industry sought accommodation with Trump during his 2024 campaign, hoping he'd be friendlier to their interests than Joe Biden had been. Once Trump's term began, though, they were taken aback to learn that he really did want tariffs, even though he'd been advocating for them since the 1980s, had levied some in his first term, and had put them at the center of his 2024 campaign. Trump's commitment to tariffs, however, didn't mean that he had carefully prepared for them or thought through their details. The administration has announced, suspended, reduced, or threatened new tariffs on China, Mexico, Canada, and the European Union. All of this volatility is ostensibly a product of ongoing negotiations, but in many cases, it's also a response to market turmoil or because of a lack of clarity about details. (This week, two federal courts also ruled that the president was overstepping his authority by implementing tariffs under emergency powers.) This is where the TACO trade comes in. Rather than panicking over every twist and turn, investors have begun to grasp the pattern. But every Wall Street arbitrage eventually loses its power once people get hip to it. In this case, the fact that Trump has learned about the TACO trade could be its downfall. The president may be fainthearted, but his track record shows that he can easily be dared into taking bad options by reporters just asking him about them. One can imagine a bleak scenario here: Trump feels shamed into following through on an economically harmful tariff; markets initially don't take him seriously, which removes any external pressure for him to reverse course. Once investors realize that he's for real this time, they panic, and the markets tank. If the president stops chickening out, both Wall Street and the American people won't be able to escape the consequences of his worst ideas. Related: Trump almost always folds. (From 2018) Trump will never rule out a bad option. Here are three new stories from The Atlantic: The Nobel Prize winner who thinks we have the universe all wrong In Trump immigration cases, it's one thing in public, another in court. The tech bros have ascended to movie-villain status. Today's News The Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to temporarily pause a Biden-era program under which more than 500,000 immigrants had been granted temporary residency in America. At a press conference on the last day of Elon Musk's tenure as a special government employee, President Donald Trump said that Musk is 'really not leaving' the administration and will be 'back and forth' to the White House. Massive wildfires are burning in western and central Canada. Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate. Dispatches The Books Briefing: Alternatives to the medical or economic status quo offer hope—and danger, Boris Kachka writes. Explore all of our newsletters here. Evening Read How to Look at Paul Gauguin By Susan Tallman The life of Paul Gauguin is the stuff of legend. Or several legends. There's the Romantic visionary invoked by his friend August Strindberg—'a child taking his toys to pieces to make new ones, rejecting and defying and preferring a red sky to everybody else's blue one.' There's the voracious malcontent whom Edgar Degas pegged as a 'hungry wolf without a collar.' There's the accomplished swordsman and brawny genius hammed up by Anthony Quinn in Lust for Life, who takes a break from bickering with Vincent van Gogh to growl, 'I'm talking about women, man, women. I like 'em fat and vicious and not too smart.' And there's the 21st-century trope of the paint-smattered, colonizing Humbert Humbert, bedding 13-year-old girls and sowing syphilis throughout the South Seas. Read the full article. More From The Atlantic Is Trump falling out of love with Putin? Trump's attacks threaten much more than Harvard. A victory for separation of powers What is a 'reverse Nixon,' and can Trump pull it off? The artist who captured the contradictions of femininity Culture Break Take a look. These photos of the week show a Wienermobile race in Indianapolis, beehive therapy in Turkey, a rare tornado touchdown in Chile, and more. Watch (or not). Horror movies don't need to be highbrow, David Sims writes. The new film Bring Her Back (out now in theaters) aims for a deeper meaning, but comes to life in its goriest sequences instead. Play our daily crossword. *Lead image credit: Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: Saul Loeb / AFP / Getty; Yuri Gripas / Abaca / Bloomberg / Getty; Stefani Reynolds / Bloomberg / Getty; Chip Somodevilla / Getty; Win McNamee / Getty Stephanie Bai contributed to this newsletter. When you buy a book using a link in this newsletter, we receive a commission. Thank you for supporting The Atlantic. Article originally published at The Atlantic
Atlantic
3 days ago
- Business
- Atlantic
The TACO Presidency
This is an edition of The Atlantic Daily, a newsletter that guides you through the biggest stories of the day, helps you discover new ideas, and recommends the best in culture. Sign up for it here. One way to trace the past nine years of Donald Trump is the journey from taco bowls to TACO bulls. (Hey, don't click away! This is going somewhere!) Back in May 2016, the then–GOP presidential candidate posted a picture of himself eating a Trump Tower Tex-Mex entree. 'I love Hispanics!' he wrote. Nearly everyone understood this as an awkward pander. Now, in May 2025, Wall Street is all over the ' TACO trade,' another instance of people realizing they shouldn't take the president at face value. 'TACO' is short for 'Trump always chickens out.' Markets have tended to go down when Trump announces new tariffs, but investors have recognized that a lot of this is bluffing, so they're buying the dip and then profiting off the inevitable rally. A reporter asked Trump about the expression on Wednesday, and he was furious. 'I chicken out? I've never heard that,' he said. 'Don't ever say what you said. That's a nasty question. To me, that's the nastiest question.' The reaction demonstrates that the traders are right, because—to mix zoological metaphors— a hit dog will holler. The White House keeps talking tough about levying new tariffs on friends and geopolitical rivals alike, but Trump has frequently gone on to lower the measures or delay them for weeks or months. Foreign leaders had figured out that Trump was a pushover by May 2017, and a year later, I laid out in detail his pattern of nearly always folding. He's a desirable negotiating foil, despite his unpredictable nature, because he doesn't tend to know his material well, has a short attention span, and can be easily manipulated by flattery. The remarkable thing is that it's taken this long for Wall Street to catch on. Even though no president has been so purely a businessman as Trump, he and the markets have never really understood each other. That is partly because, as I wrote yesterday, Trump just isn't that good at business. Despite much glitzier ventures over the years, his most effective revenue sources have been rent collection at his legacy properties and rent-seeking as president. His approach to protectionism is premised on a basic misunderstanding of trade. Yet Wall Street has never seemed to have much better of a grasp on Trump than he has on them, despite having many years to crack the code. (This is worth recalling when market evangelists speak about the supposed omniscience of markets.) Financiers have tried to understand Trump in black-and-white terms, but the task requires the nuanced recognition, for example, that he can be deadly serious about tariffs in the abstract and also extremely prone to folding on specifics. Although they disdained him during his first term, many titans of industry sought accommodation with Trump during his 2024 campaign, hoping he'd be friendlier to their interests than Joe Biden had been. Once Trump's term began, though, they were taken aback to learn that he really did want tariffs, even though he'd been advocating for them since the 1980s, had levied some in his first term, and had put them at the center of his 2024 campaign. Trump's commitment to tariffs, however, didn't mean that he had carefully prepared for them or thought through their details. The administration has announced, suspended, reduced, or threatened new tariffs on China, Mexico, Canada, and the European Union. All of this volatility is ostensibly a product of ongoing negotiations, but in many cases, it's also a response to market turmoil or because of a lack of clarity about details. (This week, two federal courts also ruled that the president was overstepping his authority by implementing tariffs under emergency powers.) This is where the TACO trade comes in. Rather than panicking over every twist and turn, investors have begun to grasp the pattern. But every Wall Street arbitrage eventually loses its power once people get hip to it. In this case, the fact that Trump has learned about the TACO trade could be its downfall. The president may be fainthearted, but his track record shows that he can easily be dared into taking bad options by reporters just asking him about them. One can imagine a bleak scenario here: Trump feels shamed into following through on an economically harmful tariff; markets initially don't take him seriously, which removes any external pressure for him to reverse course. Once investors realize that he's for real this time, they panic, and the markets tank. If the president stops chickening out, both Wall Street and the American people won't be able to escape the consequences of his worst ideas. Here are three new stories from The Atlantic: Today's News The Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to temporarily pause a Biden-era program under which more than 500,000 immigrants had been granted temporary residency in America. At a press conference on the last day of Elon Musk's tenure as a special government employee, President Donald Trump said that Musk is 'really not leaving' the administration and will be 'back and forth' to the White House. Massive wildfires are burning in western and central Canada. Thousands of people have been forced to evacuate. Dispatches Evening Read How to Look at Paul Gauguin By Susan Tallman The life of Paul Gauguin is the stuff of legend. Or several legends. There's the Romantic visionary invoked by his friend August Strindberg—'a child taking his toys to pieces to make new ones, rejecting and defying and preferring a red sky to everybody else's blue one.' There's the voracious malcontent whom Edgar Degas pegged as a 'hungry wolf without a collar.' There's the accomplished swordsman and brawny genius hammed up by Anthony Quinn in Lust for Life, who takes a break from bickering with Vincent van Gogh to growl, 'I'm talking about women, man, women. I like 'em fat and vicious and not too smart.' And there's the 21st-century trope of the paint-smattered, colonizing Humbert Humbert, bedding 13-year-old girls and sowing syphilis throughout the South Seas. More From The Atlantic Culture Break Take a look. These photos of the week show a Wienermobile race in Indianapolis, beehive therapy in Turkey, a rare tornado touchdown in Chile, and more. Watch (or not). Horror movies don't need to be highbrow, David Sims writes. The new film Bring Her Back (out now in theaters) aims for a deeper meaning, but comes to life in its goriest sequences instead. Play our daily crossword.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
After 63 Years, This Legendary Mexican Restaurant In San Antonio Is Being Forced To Close
San Antonio's culinary scene is rich with history and unforgettable flavors, attracting locals and tourists alike with food unparalleled anywhere else in the world. But post-pandemic, the restaurant scene never fully recovered from the hits that it took, equally losing customer sales and employee retention rates. Just days after the beloved, similarly-iconic Denver-based Breakfast Inn announced it was closing its doors for good, San Antonio's legendary Mexican restaurant, Oscar's Taco House, dropped the bomb that it's unexpectedly shutting down permanently -- but not by choice. According to multiple reports from local news sources, Oscar's Taco House is being forced to close by the city to make way for a new bridge. The bridge is part of a five-year project, officially named the South Zarzamora Street Overpass at Union Pacific Railroad, and it is expected to construct new bridges, roads, and sidewalks to improve mobility of the Southwest Side neighborhood. The restaurant's owner, Alex Pruneda, told local news source MySA that the city wanted the building closed by May 15, 2025, but Pruneda wrote a letter begging for an extension to give his 32 employees more time to prepare. The restaurant is set to officially lock up for the last time on June 28. Read more: 11 Mexican Restaurant Chains, Ranked Worst To Best Oscar G. Garcia opened Oscar's Taco House in 1962 at 705 Barrett Place, San Antonio, operating it first as a carhop burger joint and soon adding classic Tex-Mex entrees (if you're curious, here's what makes Tex-Mex different from Mexican cuisine). Garcia's sons took over the restaurant in 1978 after he passed away, but maintained the classic, old-school feel of decor and service. Over 40 years later, the restaurant was purchased in 2021 by close family friend Alex Pruneda, who's continued serving burgers, enchiladas, and, of course, San Antonio's world-famous and unique puffy tacos ever since. In the midst of Oscar's Taco House ceasing operations, lifelong fans and devoted customers expressed their disappointment on social media. In a Facebook group for San Antonio Restaurants, people shared stories about decades of happy memories within the restaurant's walls. One commenter said "I never thought [this] would happen. I hope they relocate, [because] that's a fav in that area," while another agreed that "it will be missed by customers who called [it] home." Oscar's Taco House has no current plans to relocate, so in the meantime, San Antonians will have to visit one final time before the end of June and take a chance on some of the other absolute best restaurants in San Antonio. Read the original article on Tasting Table.
Miami Herald
7 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Beloved taco restaurant closing iconic location after 63 years
In recent years, restaurants just have not been able to catch a break. In 2020, stay-at-home orders made in-person dining impossible for months. And once restaurants were able to welcome diners back in, issues arose. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Generous stimulus policies, including boosted unemployment benefits, made it very difficult for restaurants to find workers. Supply chain issues also made it tough for restaurants to get their hands on the ingredients they needed. Related: After closing 600 locations, fast-food chain has many more planned More recently, inflation has pushed restaurants to the brink. It's gotten increasingly expensive for restaurants to source ingredients and supplies. And the tactic of passing those costs on to consumers hasn't been working, since many Americans are cash-strapped themselves due to generally higher living costs. Not surprisingly, a number of big names in the restaurant space have closed their doors or filed for bankruptcy in recent years. And if current economic conditions persist, more restaurant closures could be in store. A big reason so many restaurants have sought out Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection or closed their doors these past few years has boiled down to money, or a lack thereof. But money isn't the only reason a famed restaurant might choose to shutter. The restaurant business is a brutal one to be in, and owning a restaurant isn't for the faint of heart. Related: Iconic restaurant closing its doors after 32 years Often, it means working long hours and enduring lots of stress for limited financial upside. So for some establishments, closures come as a result of owner burnout. In some cases, though, restaurants are effectively forced to close for reasons outside their control. San Antonio's Southside neighborhood is known for its taquerias that serve authentic Tex-Mex and Mexican-style dishes. But now, a popular taco restaurant is closing its doors for good after a successful 63 years in business. The worst part? The restaurant is being forced to vacate its iconic location so the city can construct a bridge. Related: KFC's newest restaurant concept has customers obsessed Oscar's Taco House, a beloved restaurant that's been serving up Tex-Mex classics and comfort food since 1962, is shuttering at the end of June so the city can use the land it sits on for construction. As Alex Pruneda told MySA, "The city bought us. They've been saying it for five or 10 years now that they want to build a bridge." Pruneda also said the city initially wanted the restaurant to shutter by May 15, but he was able to extend its stay until June 28. That gives fans of the famous restaurant a few more weeks to get their fill of the dishes they know and love. Fans of Oscar's Taco House took to Facebook to express their disappointment over the news. "I'm really saddened," one user said. "This place has been a staple for comfort food in my family for years and memories," said another. Known for its famous puffy tacos, fans of Oscar's have long appreciated its old-school, authentic vibe. The restaurant was so successful that it was able to thrive, despite not even having an online system for ordering food like so many eateries do. Some fans of Oscar's suggested that the restaurant try to find a new location. But the general consensus is that relocating just won't work. The restaurant has a certain feel that probably can't be mimicked elsewhere. More Fast Food & Restaurant News: Starbucks makes shocking pricing move customers will loveBankrupt restaurant chain offers new deal, stiff drinkNew Taco Bell menu items combines multiple classics Oscar's encouraged its Facebook fans to come in for a meal before the restaurant says goodbye for good. "We invite you to come in and enjoy our delicious food one last time during these final months. Let us serve you, as we've always done, with the warmth and hospitality you've come to expect." The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Miami Herald
20-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Miami Herald
Chipotle wants to give out more free burritos
A funny thing tends to happen during the summer. When the weather gets warm, people tend to eat differently. For some, that means making a run to the ice cream store for a nightly treat. For others, it means busting out the grill and cooking up a variety of fresh fish, meats, and vegetables. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter Another change people tend to make during the summer is a shift to lighter meals. Related: Formerly bankrupt Tex-Mex chain unveils deals diners will love When it's chilly outside, there's nothing like cozying up to a warm bowl of pasta or a hearty serving of stew. When it's warm outside, you don't necessarily want a heavy meal. As a result, a fast-casual restaurant chain like Chipotle has to approach the summer months strategically to avoid losing out on business. Let's face it - Mexican food isn't exactly known for being light on the stomach. Sometimes, all it takes is a couple of lunchtime tacos to obliterate your afternoon and put you at risk of falling asleep during meetings. Chipotle recognizes that consumers need options for lighter fare, whether for health reasons or vanity reasons. To this end, it's taken steps to lighten up its menu where possible. Related: Dunkin' shares new summer menu that's not just a Starbucks copy For one thing, Chipotle's tasty burritos are available in a bowl instead of a wrap. And if you want to really reduce your carbs, all you need to do is say no to rice and have your fixings over lettuce. Chipotle also has a line of lifestyle bowls that are designed to cater to different dietary preferences. These include vegetarian, vegan, and keto. Chipotle recognizes that it may not be a top dining destination during the summer. When you're sweating up a storm, do you really want to sink your teeth into a heaping burrito? But the restaurant giant just took a big step to lure in customers. Related: KFC's newest restaurant concept has customers obsessed Chipotle is running a three-month promotion called Summer of Extras. For each month during the program, Chipotle Reward members who opt in will be able to earn bonus points, Extras badges, and entries into a sweepstakes that makes them eligible for free burritos for a year. The more purchases you make, the more points and perks you rack up. "'Summer of Extras' kicks off our most rewarding summer ever through a gamified experience that rewards and recognizes our top guests with exceptional value and visibility into how their fandom and frequency ranks amongst fellow members," said Curt Garner, Chipotle's chief customer and technology officer. "Visiting more this summer can enable members to earn free Chipotle faster." This isn't the first time Chipotle has introduced an enticing promotion to boost sales. To celebrate "Burrito Day" in April, Chipotle ran a promotion that allowed customers to score BOGO (buy one, get one) offers on entrees. The move is strategic on Chipotle's part at a time when customers may be eating differently and spending differently. More Fast Food & Restaurant News: Starbucks makes shocking pricing move customers will loveBankrupt restaurant chain offers new deal, stiff drinkNew Taco Bell menu items combines multiple classics Consumers have broadly cut back on restaurant spending due to higher living costs. Bringing a fun, rewarding promotion into the mix is just what Chipotle needs to encourage customers to get their burrito fix this summer. The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
