FACES of Flint & Genesee Business: Sarahi Mercado & Jessica Jennings, MexiCrunch

Jessica Jennings is a mother of three looking for a way to earn extra income. With a dream of owning her own business, she approached her sister Sarahi Mercado and told her she wanted to start a food truck.

“I had a full-time job and was going to college at the time,” says Sarahi Mercado. “But after a few weeks of convincing me, we decided to do it.”

Luckily, the duo had a friend in the business and connected them to another person selling their food truck.

After the purchase, they came home and started working on paperwork. In September 2023, they launched their food truck, MexiCrunch, and now, one year later, the sisters run a tremendously successful business.

“When we started, it was going to be a three-day-a-week job, max,” says Mercado. “But it has expanded to a full-time job with overtime! We started in Burton but as we grew our following, we expanded to Grand Blanc, Davison, Saginaw, and Clio – and have even set up in Novi! We couldn’t be more thankful to our customers for their continuous support.”

MexiCrunch specializes in authentic Mexican food with a modern twist. Mercado and Jennings keep up with food trends while maintaining recipes they ate growing up.

“We grew up with this food, but never learned how to cook it until we opened the food truck,” says Mercado. “My mom was kind to be with us on this journey and share all of her recipes, teaching us how to make the food we had growing up.”

The sisters combine traditional food with TikTok trends they’ve seen online to create unique dishes that customers love, such as Birria egg rolls.

The truck has a few mainstay locations that it sets up weekly, including Redline Brewing Company on Lapeer Road and Nature’s ReLeaf on Dort Highway, both in Burton. However, they also share a monthly calendar on their social media page that includes the locations and times where people can find them.

As their success continues, the family wants to grow their business by adding either a second food truck or a small to-go restaurant to expand their operation and serve their customers.

What is your favorite memory from running your business?

Mercado: I would say the first day we were open. We had the goal of 10 customers that day and thought it was an insane goal to reach. We hit that goal within 30 minutes of opening!

Why did you decide to open in Flint & Genesee?

Mercado: We were born and raised in Flint, and both live in Genesee County now. We have a big family and a lot of them help out. We also wanted to bring something different to the community. My sister loves food trucks, and we don’t have a lot here, so we thought it would be nice.

Why did you decide to join the Flint & Genesee Chamber?

Mercado: My sister’s neighbor works for the Chamber, and she recruited us as a way to market our business. The first event we went to after joining the Chamber was a meet and greet and we got to talk to so many people and tell them about our food truck. We made so many connections there and a lot of the Chamber members are now our customers. It’s like a little family, we all support each other.

What advice would you offer others who want to start a business?

Mercado: For those who want to start a business and are scared – I was scared, too. I was a 20-year-old college girl working at a restaurant. I thought that would be the rest of my life. Starting a business has been one of the best decisions. I was fortunate enough to take that risk with my sister. Don’t give up, strive for the best, and make your customers happy – they’re your number one supporters.

To learn more about MexiCrunch, click here.