Even Taco Tuesday could be more expensive as beef prices continue to rise

HOUSTON – At Monchy’s, a popular taqueria in east Houston, Lucinea Canyfer Vazquez rings up a customer.

“How many tacos will it be?” she asks in Spanish, before calculating the total price.

On her right is a steaming, cafeteria-style buffet, where employees heap barbacoa, refried beans and other taco fillings into corn and flour tortillas as customers place their orders.

People come here for barbacoa, steak fajitas and picadillo (ground beef), staples of traditional Mexican food in Texas.

But beef prices have been rising as the number of cattle in the U.S. has reached its lowest level in decades.

And taco restaurants like Monchy’s are feeling the pinch, said Vazquez, who is in charge of buying ingredients and supplies for this family-owned restaurant.

She’s noticed that beef prices have increased by about $2 a pound since last year. In response, the restaurant has increased its prices, including its Taco Tuesday special. Now, each taco costs $1.50 during the Tuesday special, instead of $1.00.

“That hurt my heart, but we had to do it,” Vazquez said.

Wholesale beef prices were up nearly 16% from May of this year compared to the same time last year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA says these prices are expected to increase by more than 9% in 2026.

Taqueros across Texas say the price hike is the latest hit to their businesses as fuel costs continue to rise and inflation remains steady.

Kelsey Erickson Streufert, a spokesperson for the Texas Restaurant Association, said offsetting higher production costs is harder for these businesses, which depend on daily sales to remain open.

“They really can only raise that price so much before a big benefit of the taco — which is its affordability — disappears, and that makes it less attractive to consumers,” she said.

Beyond its nutritional value and rich flavors, a taco is perhaps the ultimate symbol of a cheap, filling meal on the go.

Mando Rayo, host of the Tacos of Texas podcast produced in Austin, said that taco trucks in particular are struggling.

They can’t purchase in bulk in the same way that a chain, or even a singular brick-and-mortar restaurant, could. And, Rayo said, they’re even less likely to raise their prices than traditional taquerias, because they often rely on a small customer base in a specific neighborhood.

“They’d rather be loyal to their community and to their neighborhood than to raise prices by even a dollar,” he said.

On a recent July morning, 26-year-old Alonzo Peraza wiped down the counter of his food truck. Peraza grew up watching the TV show MasterChef and studied to become a chef in his native Honduras before moving to the United States.

Three months ago, he fulfilled his dream and opened Trap Tacos in a parking lot tucked between car shops.

But as beef prices remain high, Peraza has been shopping at different food suppliers to try to reduce his costs. Still, he hasn’t changed his menu or his prices.

“People come to me for the flavor, for the meat,” he said. “I don’t want to change that.”

At Monchy’s, a steady stream of customers comes in and out of the restaurant between the breakfast and lunch hour rush.

The restaurant is decorated for the FIFA World Cup with inflatable soccer balls and paper garlands of jerseys. Small flags from around the globe are tucked into the tables and Telemundo plays on a TV on one of the restaurant’s bright yellow walls.

Vazquez said as beef prices rise, she’s noticed some customers turning to cheaper options like chicken and pork.

But not everyone is changing their order.

Jessey Rojas, a regular, said his favorite taco filling is steak fajitas.

“If it costs, it costs,” he said. “But you only live once, so you might as well eat.”