HERMOSA — Ricardo Rodriguez and his wife, Norma Arenas, began a new chapter in the long life of El Puestito, Rodriguez’s decades-long eatery, on Sept. 23.
The newest El Puestito is a custom-designed and -built food truck that sits at the corner of Kostner and Diversey avenues, brightly lit with neon signs and filling the street with the smell of Rodriguez’s famous pollo asado a la leña.
El Puestito had previously operated as a food trailer stationed outside of La Caridad, a liquor store at 3575 W. Fullerton Ave. owned by Rodriguez’s father for nearly 40 years before its closure in April. But in October 2022, after about three months in business, El Puestito was shut down when someone reported it to the city for of a lack of proper license and vehicle type.
Rodriguez — with the help of his wife and the rest of his family — spent several months reconfiguring a standard truck to meet all of the requirements necessary for a food truck license.
“It was hard. It was very hard for everyone,” Rodriguez said. “It was a lot to finance the project and very expensive … but a success with my family, who has supported me through everything.”
For Rodriguez, this iteration of El Puestito is a a symbol of the hard work his father has put into building his network of family businesses in Chicago since the 1980s.
“This is an accumulation of everything that he’s done and a way to continue the saga of the Rodriguez business,” he said.
Rodriguez has been passionate about cooking since he was a teenager in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. He said El Puestito is not just about family and business — it’s about sharing his expression of Mexican cuisine with neighbors and community.
“The food is really traditional to central Mexico, and not everyone in Chicago has had the opportunity to try this specific type of cuisine,” Rodriguez said.
Although Rodriguez’s family roots are in San Luis Potosi, he pulls recipes from other parts of central Mexico — such as his esquites, or street corn salad, which derive from Mexico City.
“Everything is handmade,” he said. “You could say that our specialty is in making everything from scratch and by hand; it’s not fast food tacos.”
Rodriguez, who has worked in highly regarded Chicago restaurants such as Gibsons Bar & Steakhouse and Le Colonial, views his new — albeit more casual — venture in the same way he views his experiences in high-end eateries.
Being in this industry “is an almost religious practice, and I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside people who have a lot of talent and passion for the work,” he said. “It’s a privilege and an opportunity to be in a growing community, and I have the good fortune of doing that with all of the official licenses and codes. It’s different from a restaurant but I have the same responsibility.”
The reception from neighbors has been warm and welcoming, as the family has been in the area for decades, Rodriguez said. He hopes and expects business will grow with time.
“As with any business, it all happens in phases,” he said.
As far as long-term goals, Rodriguez first aims to become an established, known community business, and go wherever that support will take him.
“I’d like to grow in any way we can,” he said. “Have more businesses, more food trucks.”
In the meantime, Rodriguez relishes in the everyday but essential function of running a small business: having customers walk away happy.
“To see a customer walk away satisfied says a lot to me,” he said. “It’s a small step forward, but important, because that person is going to come back. Seeing one client satisfied is a good reward for all of the hard work we do.”
Still in the early stages, hours of operation at El Puestito can be in-flux, but the truck is regularly open 5 p.m.-midnight Friday-Sunday at the corner of Kostner and Diversey.
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