Sep. 30—TRAVERSE CITY — Happy's Taco Shop will mark its 10th year in business in October. At the end of that month, the eatery will move from three locations to two.
Business partners Drue Wright and Drake Nagel decided to leave their space at The Little Fleet in Traverse City so they can focus on their small business.
"It has continued to grow and grow and grow every year," Wright said. "We want to really be involved in its operations day to day, slow it down to focus on the business as we originally intended."
That goal proved hard for the duo to achieve when their attention was split between three facilities, he said.
Nagel agreed, adding that they aim to focus on the food and create "a sense of community."
The menu has remained largely unchanged in 10 years with an emphasis, of course, on tacos. Other items include burritos and chips and salsa.
Wright said they plan to "offer a bigger variety of things on our menu" after they close at The Little Fleet.
The eatery began in the Boyne City area and in 2015, launched as a food truck at The Little Fleet.
"It's important to highlight how good that relationship was and still is with the Little Fleet team," Wright said.
The Little Fleet Owner Gary Jonas said Happy's Taco Shop has "been such a great fit for us" over the last seven years.
"It was a great partnership and the end of an era," Jonas said. "We are left with this amazing opportunity, this space that is crucial to The Little Fleet's identity. Things are always changing here — that's kind of who we are. It keeps it fun."
Jonas said going forward, the plan is to resume last winter's kitchen takeovers but with some changes. They will open the taco shop space for month-long takeovers starting in November.
Local and Michigan cooks can serve their food in a sort of test kitchen atmosphere, he added.
"We're pulling in food that's not up here, and chefs who want to be up here," he said.
Happy's Taco Shop will continue to serve food in The Little Fleet until Oct. 31. After that, diners can find their tacos in Boyne City and Petoskey. They will be open for lunch and dinner in Boyne City.
Nagel added that they may return to Traverse City to "work with businesses we like," such as the Cooks' House.
"It would be fun to do pop-ups here and there," he said.
Keep up with Happy's Taco Shop at www.happystacoshop.com.