DeKALB — A new Mexican-style food truck will be making its rounds in DeKalb this year.

Los Rancheros, 2350 Sycamore Road, Unit A, is a Mexican restaurant, and its management will debut a food truck that will travel around the DeKalb area as well as the whole of Illinois, although a grand opening date has not yet been established, said Los Rancheros manager Emanuel Lopez.

The truck will allow Los Rancheros to have more access to the community and to provide popular dishes from the restaurant on the go. The idea was brought about after members of multiple communities requested catering for special events around town, Lopez said.

“A lot of people from small towns are craving our food, so we wanted a way to bring it closer to them in a more convenient style,” Lopez said.

The DeKalb location is part of a state-wide franchise that includes four locations in Springfield, Taylorville, Jacksonville and Beardstown. The truck will travel among all of the locations to appease customers all over the state.

The DeKalb location of Los Rancheros recently underwent renovations to expand the restaurant. The restaurant closed Nov. 28 and reopened Dec. 10 after partially completing the remodel.

“Our goal is to attend and create events in order to appease the community and make everyone happy,” Lopez said.

Some of the food items that will be featured on the truck’s menu include tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos and a new item called the Luchador Nachos.

“It’s a mixture of cheeses and Chipotle cheese. It’ll be a new feature specifically for the food truck menu,” Lopez said.

Lopez said restaurant officials plan to work with NIU to create events where students may enjoy the food truck.

The Rolling Harvest food truck parks in the MLK Commons every week and serves local, health-conscious menu items including wraps and hot sandwiches. Mexican food truck Tinez Tacos also makes its way around the DeKalb area.

The dates and locations for the Los Rancheros food truck are still being determined. The truck will be located at specific spots for a few days at a time and then move on to the next location, Lopez said.

“I think the food truck is great,” said junior psychology major Christopher Williams. “It’ll be more convenient, and the students can have a different variety of food on campus.”

Morgan Fink is a staff writer. She can be reached at [email protected].