MADISON, Wis. — First, they dealt with a pandemic that kept their customer base in their homes, now they’re dealing with high inflation. 

It’s officially food truck season in Madison — food carts could start setting up shop on the capitol square on April 15. 

Luis Carmona owns El Wiscorican, a food truck he started in 2017. 

“I was at a low point in my life, so I just started looking at Craigslist, and saw a food cart that was available. I said […] let’s do it,” he said, a big smile on his face.

He first moved to Wisconsin from Puerto Rico eight years ago. He started cooking at the FEED Kitchens between 4:30 and 5 a.m. every morning, with his employee, Omar. 

It’s been tough making it through the pandemic.

“We were lucky to get some help from the government just to keep us going,” he said. “We just switched to an online model, so we did to-go meals on Thursdays and Fridays.” 

He has friends whose businesses folded during the tough time they all went through. Now, though, they’re dealing with a whole different issue: inflation. 

“It’s been horrible. I would say on average, including gas prices, I’m probably spending about 25-30% more,” Carmona said. “At the start of the pandemic, we raised 50 cents on a sandwich, and $1 on our plates. Because we don’t want to go past that $10 [per meal] threshold.” 

Even though the business has felt like it’s changed constantly the last couple years, Carmona knows he’s made it through with support, hard work, and a little luck. 

“I love cooking, I enjoy serving people,” he said. 

Carmona’s spot for El Wiscorican is on the UW campus, on West Dayton.