First of all, let me say I am a Stripes veteran. Every time I drive to the Rio Grande Valley from Austin, that Stripes, more often than not, is breakfast.
That makes this visit to the Laredo Taco Company location in this Stripes store on the east side of Elgin disappointing to the extreme. LTC has been wonderful in other locations but THIS.....
I ordered the highly promoted Bistek plate. Five bucks, why not? I'll TELL you why. Each of the taco shells was cooked to the point where my teeth could NOT tear them apart. The bottom of each shell was covered with a dark brown material that would bear a passing resemblance to meat, had it had any taste whatsoever. The cilantro, at least, was relatively fresh. But the topper was that ALL the tacos were DRENCHED in warm (barely) grease. OK, let's try the beans. They taste like canned pork and beans, with a little spice! I'm not kidding! The rice? Almost edible, if you like a paste made out of overcooked rice. A complete waste of $5.40, including tax.
I have had Mexican food all over North America I have NEVER been presented with something like this.
As for the rest of the store, it was no great shakes either. It was like everyone had given up now that 7/11 has bought Stripes. The famed 64 oz cups were nowhere to be found. Packing boxes littered the cash register area. And the restrooms. OH, the men's restroom. I won't go any further.
I have reached out to Stripes which, I see, is now headquartered with 7/11 up in the Metroplex. We'll see if customer service has died along with their independence. read more