The ultimate nightcap


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He thinks of himself as a normal guy who makes tacos for the inebriated.

Before he knew it, Saginaw senior Troy Prill's modest walking taco stand turned into a "fast food" staple for downtown Mount Pleasant weekends.

He started his tiny business this summer, never knowing that it would take off so quickly.

"It started off as more of a hobby than a job, but now it's turned into a job," he said. "I didn't expect to do this well."

What's in the box?

Served in a Chinese carryout container, the base of Prill's walking taco is rice.

"It's sort of like a concession stand walking taco, but beefed up," he said.

Next, customers can choose between beef and chicken. The most popular option is beef--Prill said he goes through about 80 pounds of beef every night.

After choosing the meat, Prill adds beans. Throughout the night, Prill is constantly running back and forth to his car to grab more supplies to cook for the downtown masses.

Next comes the cheese, a taco staple. "On a busy night, I go through about 20 pounds of cheese," Prill said.

To top it all off, Prill adds Fritos. Customers have an array of options to dress up their walking taco. These include sour cream, salsa, jalapeños and other taco favorites.

Between 9:30 p.m.- 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, the stand is open on the corner of Michigan and Main streets. Bravely, Prill intends to stay open through the bitter Mount Pleasant winter. He said it's worth it to him, because it's his taco stand that is helping him pay his way through college at Central Michigan University.

"I make enough to make 2 a.m. worth it," Prill said. "It's enough to give up my weekends."

With a happening party atmosphere around town on the weekends, Prill has experienced a fair number of drunk college students looking for a snack. Drawn in by the inviting smell of warm food on a cold night, passers by often stop for one of Prill's walking tacos. They are $3 for a small serving and $6 for a large serving.

"I get all the drunk people, well, usually inebriated," Prill said. "It makes for some great stories."

What customers are saying about Prill's "The Pineapple Express" taco stand:

"This guy knows how to capitalize on life. He sells a product as needed and doesn't take advantage of people. Drunk people need to eat." Mount Pleasant resident Andrew Lantz-Demski

"This is my first one but I love it. It's amazing." Farmington Hills junior Greg Genette

"This here is a solid business development plan. The walking tacos are bananas." Owosso senior Justin Carsten

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About Sydney Smith

Sydney Smith is a super-senior at Central Michigan University. She comes from metro Detroit ...

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