Meet the kid manning his family’s food truck

Arii Armani Rene Tobias has worked at his family’s food truck for two years now. He loves every single minute of it — even if things get a little greasy.

By Jackie IbarraFebruary 27, 2023 10:15 am, , ,

At a food truck tucked away on the corner of East Cesar Chavez Street, patrons are greeted with music, the smell of juicy birria tacos and the face of one of their youngest employees — Arii Armani Rene Tobias. 

“I’m 12. I tell people I’m 21 to joke around,” Tobias said. 

But don’t let his baby face fool you. Tobias takes his job at his family’s food truck very seriously. 

“It is a job, obviously, I still take it seriously, but it mostly doesn’t feel like a job most of the time because I’m here working with my family. You know, we joke and play sometimes,” Tobias said. “But it doesn’t really feel like a job too much because it feels like home.”

Tobias’ family runs Love C Spot. The family-owned food truck specializes in birria tacos but has anything from tacos to quesadillas to their own version of a Crunch Wrap Supreme on their menu. Tobias started working at his family’s food truck after he saw how much his parents were enjoying it. 

The exterior of the Love C Spot food truck is seen facing the window. Above the window in big letters is a sign reading

Jackie Ibarra / Texas Standard

Love C Spot is a food truck owned by Tobias' family that specializes in birria.

It was definitely [something] I wanted to do because my mom and my dad, they seem to be having a blast working the food truck and I just wanted to be a part of it since it was my family,” Tobias said. 

At the food truck, he’s usually the one greeting customers, taking orders or recommending menu items to new customers.  

A young, 12-year-old boy is seen from the side looking out the window of his family's food truck.

Arii Armani Rene Tobias works the window at his family’s food truck.
Jackie Ibarra / Texas Standard

It’s my favorite job because I get to interact with people. I’ll make people smile sometimes, and I love just like interacting with people and just joking around sometimes,” Tobias said.

But when he first started working, Tobias said he was nervous about talking to new people — and  dealing with their money.

“It was terrifying for me to work the register with the money and the math because sometimes I’d be scared, I’d give out too much and give out too little and, you know, [we] would get complaints and stuff. So I was kind of nervous, too, at the beginning,” Tobias said.

Although it can be a big job sometimes, Tobias said he loves every single minute, especially when he gets to give his friends and teachers discounts.

Even though I do go home smelling like grease and come from school and all that, I just love working with my family. It’s very enjoyable working with the people I grew up with, the people that raised you,” Tobias said. “I always give my teachers and my friends discounts – give them some free food – so I love seeing the people that I hang out with and the people that I love the most here working with me.” 

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