Image Source: burpingsprite TikTok via The Nerd Stash
After California city officials approached a vendor and closed down their business, one of the owners of the family business is speaking out. She says that their family business was closed down by officials in an unfair manner after someone made a complaint. Now, they’re working to build things from the ground up after losing everything.
Mena (@burpingsprite) says that “all of a sudden our worst fear became a reality” for her family recently. Mena’s family owned a family business selling birria tacos and ice cream out of a vendor stand. They operated the business for the past five years and were well-established in their community. Unfortunately, Mena says that all changed one day when city officials approached their stand. Apparently, somebody called officials on them to investigate and shut down their stand.
I originally planned to wait before sharing this video, but what happened has been so devastating that I feel it’s important to speak about it. On May 9, 2026, the city was called on our family business. For the past five years, we have proudly operated a small family-run business selling birria tacos and ice cream. ( @nievesdegarrafamary ) We have always taken pride in maintaining a clean and sanitary environment, treating everyone with kindness and respect, and putting our hearts into everything we do. Over the years, we built meaningful relationships with so many loyal customers who became more like family to us. What makes this situation even more difficult is that we do not know who filed the complaint. We have been operating for five years without any issues from the city, and suddenly everything changed. The way this situation was handled was extremely disappointing. My 14-year-old sister was working the first shift as our cashier when city officials arrived. She was simply holding her phone while watching what was happening. She was not recording anyone, nor did she have her phone pointed at them. Despite this, one of the officials turned to her and said, “Put your phone down and stop recording me, or I’ll tell your dad to take it away from you.” Hearing an adult speak to a child that way was upsetting, especially when she was doing nothing wrong. Even if she had been recording, we understand that people have the right to document interactions in public spaces. We were also told that we could visit the city and apply for a permit so we could continue operating. However, when we followed their instructions and went to the city, we were told that obtaining such a permit was not possible. That left us confused and frustrated, wondering why we were given that information in the first place. The only explanation we received was that someone had filed a complaint alleging that we sold beer. This accusation is completely false. We have never sold alcohol and have always turned customers away whenever they asked. We have worked hard to run our business responsibly and professionally. This business was our family’s primary source of income. To make matters even harder, my dad’s job has slowed down significantly and has not been providing enough work. Before this incident, we also lost our insurance coverage and had to get another one, which made us pay over $800 per month and we would get zero benefits from it. The financial strain has been overwhelming, and this situation has placed an enormous burden on our family. We are sharing our story not for sympathy, but because we need support during one of the most difficult times we have ever faced. If there is anything you can do to help, we would be deeply grateful. Even something as simple as liking this video, leaving a comment, or sharing it with others can make a difference and help our story reach more people. Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the years. Your kindness, encouragement, and loyalty have meant more to us than words can express. We are holding onto hope and praying for better days ahead. hopefully tiktok does its thing and can help our story reach out to others and maybe even our customers. 🫶🏽 #fyp#familybusiness#santaana#orangecounty#hispaniccommunity
According to Mena, her 14-year-old sister was working her first shift ever when officials arrived. She started recording them on her phone until one of the officials told her, “Put your phone down and stop recording me.” City officials told them they would need to obtain a special permit but when they went to the city to do so, they said “obtaining such a permit was not possible.”
Mena shares the recording of the day officials investigated their family stand and turned their world upside-down. You can see them talking to Mena’s family and delivering the bad news, which was heartbreaking for their family. They received an explanation from officials that somebody reported them for selling alcohol at the stand, even though they didn’t. Mena says this was her “family’s primary source of income,” making things more difficult for them during this time.
Commenters immediately responded to Mena’s video with both outrage and support. One commenter stated, “They get jealous and want other people to be as miserable as they are.” Many people shared their own personal stories with Mena. One shared, “As a food truck owner myself, we all started there. My advice if you have been in this business for the past five years you should invest in a food truck and get everything legal. Some people get mad because they pay so much in taxes and permits and other fees.”
Other commenters suggested that this seems to happen to a lot of Mexican food stands in California. As one announced, “I just wanna know who did it!! Why is it always our people being targeted??” Commenters continue to share their reactions and concerns with Mena. Many have been offering her family solid advice on how to get back up and running after this devastation.
Full-time realism artist, wife, and mom. Had my start a decade ago writing horror stories for Thought Catalog - now I write human interest articles and legal blogs on the daily. Have a huge love for horror novels, Furbies, and 80s horror movies. I also own a pug mix named Gaz.
