About Us
On Sunday September 10th, Hurricane Irma made landfall in SWFL and tracked its way through the Venice area. One of the largest and strongest storms to ever exist, Irma left considerable damage in the area despite veering east, sparing Venice a potentially devastating direct hit. On the morning of Monday September 11th, the community emerged from their homes to find impactful damage to homes, trees and power lines. As Executive Chef Mike Leopold and I started to make our way to check on our homes and Off The Wagon, we were ecstatic to see that we had not lost power at the business. We went inside to survey the inventory and make sure that all the equipment was functioning. Upon completion of the inspection we were comfortable enough to open our doors, A/C, water, booze and food to the community of Venice. Our community needed an escape from the reality of the storm that had just torn through. There was only one problem, we only had inventory to make tacos! We weren’t sure what to expect opening our doors, but with help from a few key employees, family and Chef, we were able to open, ready to pour drinks and make some tacos. Word quickly got around town that we were opening and the people started to flood through the doors! We were quickly over-run with customers excited to enjoy the A/C, food and drinks. On that day we bought out the only open Publix of tortillas and sold hundreds of them to hungry Venice residents! We sold so many tacos that we ran out of tortillas and had to complete our final orders with pita bread. A lot of people still comment to me today about that day and the days following. We became a community gathering spot, a place for people to enjoy food, drinks and live entertainment despite one of the worst storms to ever hit Florida. We were incredibly blessed to be open for business the days following Hurricane Irma. We were able to service the community and the concept of Irma’s Tacos was born. It’s with that same passion that we will bring you the best craft tacos, craft beer and craft margaritas to enjoy everyday!
