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Welcome back to Eater News, a semi-regular round-up of mini news bites. Have info to share? Email intel to seattle@eater.com.
Renton Taco Truck Launches GoFundMe to Rebuild After Devastating Fire
On Easter Sunday, the owners of Renton food truck Taqueria El Taco Loco learned that a fire had completely destroyed their vehicle. Now, they are launching a GoFundMe campaign to try to rebuild the mobile business. The truck — run by Luis Castañeda and his family — had been open since August 2020, serving a selection of Jalisco-style street food, including barbacoa, barba-quesos, and cochinita pibil tacos. “We started after my father lost his job [at a tire shop], and it’s been a dream he’s had since 2011,” Luis’s son Edgar Castañeda tells Eater Seattle. “Our first step is to get the truck replaced and back to the spot where it was parked, because we have very loyal customers waiting for us.” So far, El Taco Loco has raised close to $10,000 of its $50,000 GoFundMe goal. Local authorities have not yet determined the cause of the blaze, but outside arson investigators are examining whether it’s tied to a string of fires set to commercial vehicles in Renton over the weekend.
Sounders to Welcome Fans Back to Lumen Field Soon
Seattle sports with fans in the stands continue their return. After the Mariners made their season debut at T-Mobile Park this past weekend, the Sounders announced that they would soon host fans at Lumen Field for the first time since early 2020. Live sporting events in Washington allowed at 25 percent capacity, so the club can bring in a max of 7,000 total fans for each of its first five home matches of 2021, beginning with the opener against Minnesota United on Friday, April 16. When it opens, Lumen Field’s food and drink options will look a little different, with lidded takeout containers, Plexiglas guards installed at all counters, and self-ordering kiosks to reduce contact. The official Sounders website also says there will be a “reduced menu” in order “to account for quicker transaction times for guests and less congestion in the kitchen and prep areas.”
West Seattle Is Reportedly Landing a Sharetea Location in May
According to West Seattle Blog, popular Taiwanese bubble tea shop Sharetea is about to arrive at the Jefferson Square shopping mall, aiming for a May debut. This will be the second active location for the cafe in Seattle, following one on Capitol Hill (an outpost in the U District has closed). Since its founding in 1992 in Taipei, Sharetea’s company has added hundreds of locations across the world, and many across the greater Puget Sound region, including Tukwila, Everett, Lynnwood, Issaquah, and Redmond. Among some of the chain’s most popular items are its coffee milk tea, strawberry ice blended with lychee jelly and ice cream, whole lemon green tea, and a Hawaiian fruit tea.