by
Alexander Quinones
The way Alexander Quinones, 19, tells it, his new Detroit Loves Tacos 2 restaurant at 25750 Ecorse Rd. in Taylor was weeks away from going belly up after being in business only since last November.
Business was hurting, making it difficult to make ends meet.
What made that prospect all the more depressing, he tells Faraz Javed of WXYZ, was that he invested $5,000 of his savings and graduation money into the business, and his mother also contributed. He graduated from Taylor High School in 2025.
"I felt like things were going not as planned...," he told WXYZ. "it didn't make me feel so good, it made me feel really really emotional. All I could do is just keep on trying every day."
But things totally flipped, and now business is booming after he recently posted a video on TikTok talking about the taco joint. He says customers have even come from out of state — Ohio, Minnesota and Canada — and he's selling out daily. (See video below)
In the video, the message was simple:
"My name is Alexander Quinones. I’m 19 years old. I recently graduated 2025. I saved up my money from the last couple of years to open up my restaurant.
"It's been a dream for me for as long as I can remember. No shortcuts, no big investors, just me working every single day, long nights with the vision. Everything is made fresh with love and ready to serve.
"If you've already came by, thank you so much. Your support really means more than you even think, and if you haven't come by and check out what we’re doing."
His mother, who has been helping him handle the boom, opened Detroit Loves Tacos on W. Fort Street in Detroit's Corktown in 2021.
