Victor Villa, owner and founder of Villa’s Tacos, was featured b a Villa’s Taco stand in the Super Bowl LX Halftime Show with Bad Bunny Feb. 8.
Mason Lopez, an employee at Villa’s Tacos, said he began working at the restaurant about four months ago. Lopez said he feels Villa’s energy and personality are why he was selected to be a part of the halftime show.
According to Villa, being in the halftime show meant representing his family, his community, LA, Mexican Americans and all the Mexicans who came before him. Villa said he feels the reason he and Villa’s Tacos were given opportunities like appearing in the halftime show is the love that is put into all the food at the restaurant.
“Our food is a testament to the love we put in there, the love that we have for everybody who comes to our doors,” said Villa.
According to Villa, he got a call from a friend explaining they wanted tacos to be a part of the Halftime Show and asking if Villa wanted to participate.
“He called me back about a month later, and then he told me, rehearsals were going to start soon,” Villa said. “We [rehearsed] for about two weeks, and then the last 10 days leading up to the Super Bowl, we went to Santa Clara.”
According to Villa, there have always been long lines at Villa’s Tacos, but after the show, the lines don’t seem to stop. Lopez said the reaction has been positive, as there were a lot of people coming in to compliment the restaurant on the halftime show.
Mackenzie Bunyi, a first-time customer at Villa’s Tacos, said she had heard of Villa’s Tacos before the show but was trying it for the first time Feb. 21.
“I love how Bad Bunny brought the spotlight to small businesses, not just in one area of America,” Bunyi said.
According to Condé Nast Travelers, there were many other businesses featured during the halftime show, such as La Marqueta Bodega, a corner store from New York, and Johana Castillo, a nail tech from LA.
“I met a lot of good people, a lot of people I consider my family now,” Villa said. “We text each other every day, and it was great to be around such amazing people.”
It has taken about eight and a half years for Villa’s Tacos to get to a point where they can perform at an event like the Super Bowl Halftime show, Villa said.
According to Lopez, Villa’s Tacos started at Villa’s grandmother’s house, supported by the rest of Villa’s family, before they were able to open their first location in Highland Park — a neighborhood Villa said he considers his home away from home.
There are now three Villa’s Tacos locations, according to the Villa’s Tacos website, with the Highland Park location earning a Michelin Bib Gourmand award. The restaurant was also featured in the Netflix show “Taco Chronicles: Cross the Border.” Villa said he uses mountains as an analogy to describe the restaurant’s success.
“The Netflix [show] was a high mountain […], but [the Super Bowl] was like climbing Mount Everest,” Villa said. “I don’t know if there’s even a higher mountain than what we just did two Sundays ago.”
According to Villa, three more stores are planned to open, one in Hollywood, one in South Pasadena, and one in his home neighborhood of Atwater Village. Villa said he is incredibly grateful for the journey he has been on to make Villa’s Tacos what it is today.
“This wasn’t only a win for myself, but this was a win for everybody, for my community, for my people, for my culture, for all the taqueros of the world,” Villa said. “It’s been an honor to represent that.”
Contact Emma Williams at ewilliams4@oxy.edu
