Midwest
It's official: Tacos and burritos are Mexican-style sandwiches, an Indiana judge rules
- Restaurateur Martin Quintana has won a legal battle to open his second The Famous Taco restaurant in Fort Wayne.
- Initially restricted to a “sandwich bar-style” concept, Quintana sued to include Mexican-style food like tacos and burritos.
- Judge Craig Bobay ruled in Quintana’s favor, saying that tacos and burritos are Mexican-style sandwiches.
An Indiana judge who declared that “tacos and burritos are Mexican-style sandwiches” has cleared the way for the opening of a new restaurant, delighting a restaurateur following a legal battle.
Martin Quintana, 53, has been trying for about three years to open his second The Famous Taco location in Fort Wayne, a city about 120 miles northeast of Indianapolis.
But the initial written commitment for the development at a plaza Quintana owns limits the business to “a sandwich bar-style restaurant whose primary business is to sell ‘made-to-order’ or ‘subway-style’ sandwiches.”
TINY MEXICAN TACO STAND BECOMES FIRST TO GET MICHELIN STAR WITH SIMPLE RECIPE, UNCHANGED SINCE 1968
Quintana said the nearby Covington Creek Association contacted him to say that his The Famous Taco proposal “somehow ran afoul” to that commitment.
From left, a banh mi taco, fried avocado taco and tuna poke taco are seen at Bird & Co. on Aug. 13, 2019. An Indiana judge who declared that “tacos and burritos are Mexican-style sandwiches” has cleared the way for the opening of a new restaurant, delighting a restaurateur following a legal battle. (Brianna Soukup/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)
He sued the Fort Wayne Plan Commission in December 2022 after it denied his proposed amendment that would specifically allow his restaurant to offer made-to-order tacos, burritos and other Mexican-style food items, The Journal Gazette reported.
Allen Superior Court Judge Craig Bobay ruled Monday that the plan commission acted correctly when it denied Quintan’s proposed amendment. But the judge also found that his request was not needed and he found that the original commitment allows restaurants like the proposed The Famous Taco.
“The Court agrees with Quintana that tacos and burritos are Mexican-style sandwiches, and the original Written Commitment does not restrict potential restaurants to only American cuisine-style sandwiches,” Bobay wrote.
Quintana said Thursday he is relieved the legal fight is over, and he is looking forward to opening his second The Famous Taco restaurant in Fort Wayne, which is Indiana’s second-most populous city with about 270,000 residents.
“I’m glad this thing is over. We are happy. When you have a decision like this the only thing you can be is happy. We’re excited,” he told The Associated Press.
Quintana said he came to the U.S. from Mexico in 1988, working first as a farm worker in California picking grapes, olives and kiwi fruit before entering the restaurant business in Michigan before moving to Chicago and finally Fort Wayne in 2001. He also operates a second restaurant in the city.
Quintana said his new family-owned The Famous Taco restaurant should open in two or three months. He said that like his other The Famous Taco location that opened nearly seven years ago, customers will be able choose their favored toppings for tacos, burritos or tortas assembled by eatery staff.
“You know, that’s a sandwich, that’s bread. That’s a sandwich,” he said of tortas. “We go through a lot of those.”
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Milwaukee storm uproots tree, crushing both of man’s trucks
David Machado describes how an uprooted tree fell on both of his trucks after heavy rain and high winds swept through Milwaukee.
Three Milwaukee teenagers are charged with felony murder in the Walker’s Point fatal shooting of a 35-year-old man April 14.
Milwaukee prosecutors issued charges of murder and attempted armed robbery in the killing of David Krause, which prosecutors and family said followed the man’s celebration of the city’s 414 Day celebration and asking the youth for a ride during the day’s heavy storms.
Milwaukee police said those arrested include a 16-year-old boy, a 14-year-old boy, a 15-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl. The girl was released without any charges being immediately filed, according to a children’s court official, while the other three are charged.
A Milwaukee County Court Commissioner ruled each of the three charged teens will remain in custody ahead of their next court proceedings.
Krause’s mother, Diane Krause, described her son’s killing as a “monstrous act” and a “senseless crime” during an April 28 court hearing for one of the teenagers.
Krause had been celebrating 414 Day when he was dropped off at a Walker’s Point gas station and later asked a group of teens for a ride during the day’s heavy rains, according to his mother and a juvenile petition, the charging document, filed against one of the teenagers.
Footage shows Krause entered the vehicle, which authorities say was stolen, and the vehicle drove away, according to the petition. Afterward, footage showed Krause running from the vehicle and toward a bar entrance, but two of the youth attacked him before he reached it and one shot him.
The teenager who is accused of pulling the gun’s trigger faces an additional charge of arson for allegedly attempting to burn the vehicle they used in order to destroy evidence, prosecutors said at an April 27 court hearing. During the hearing, it was detailed the youth had previously been charged with firearm and car-theft related offenses and his whereabout was unknown to authorities since September 2025.
The April 28 hearing comes days after the first teenager charged in Krause’s shooting was mistakenly released by Milwaukee County staff and re-arrested April 27. That incident is under review, a county spokesperson said.
Krause’s family has been critical of the mistake.
“Someone has to answer for their incompetence,” Diane Krause previously told the Journal Sentinel.
David Clarey is a public safety reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He can be reached at: dclarey@usatodayco.com.
Hennepin County Medical Center faces possible closure as it loses millions each month, and time is running out for lawmakers and hospital leaders as the financial crisis deepens. FOX 9’s Corin Hoggard has the latest.
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Larry D. Hunter, 80, of Indianapolis, passed away peacefully at his home on April 16, 2026. He was born in Metamora, Indiana, on April 19, 1945, the ninth of 11 children of Conley and Oma Hunter (née Mobley). He was a graduate of Brookville High School, where he played basketball and also served as editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, B. High Spirit. While in high school, he also played baseball in the Babe Ruth League in Brookville.
After graduating in 1963, Larry joined the U.S. Army, serving from 1964 until 1967. During this time, while stationed in Germany, he met his first wife, Gabriele (née Vetter). They returned to the States, married in 1968 and remained together until 1988. They had two children, Rusty and Nikki. In 1997, he married Connie (née Sparks) and they remained together until 2022. Larry was a member of Five Points Baptist Church in Mooresville and the Carpenters Union Local 301. He was employed with Paul Fox Construction for several years before working at F.A. Wilhelm Construction, where he stayed for over 40 years as a layout engineer and then superintendent before officially retiring in 2025 at the age of 80.
Larry had many interests including spending time with family; watching Indianapolis Colts games, comedy movies and game shows; playing board games; working his booth at the flea market, and playing ping pong, mini golf and bowling, for which he participated in a league for a few years. He also loved his many dogs – Chief, Champ, Prince, Max and Molly – and cats Cuddles, Sophie, Misty and Meanbutt.
Survivors include his two children, Rusty Hunter of New Palestine and Nikki Hunter of Indianapolis; one brother James A. (Karen) Hunter of Shelbyville; step-daughter Amie Jo Sparks (Christopher) Ross; five step-grandchildren Jordan (Paige) Cowan, Mason (Alexis) Cowan, Erica Cowan, Jessica Furkin, and Daila Hargitt; eight step-great-grandchildren, Callie, Aiden, Rylie, Princeton, Sensei, Charlotte, Luka, and Amelia. In addition to his parents, Larry was preceded in death by nine siblings: William, Ray, Roy, Herbert, Eva, Elsie, Ruth, Paul (“Bud”), and Garry; and one stepson, Brian Sparks.
Visitation will be held on Monday, May 4 from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. at Cook Rosenberger Funeral Home, 929 Main Street, Brookville, Indiana 47012. Pastor Rob Edwards will officiate the funeral service beginning at 1 p.m. and burial will follow immediately after in Metamora Cemetery – Mobley Addition.
Memorial contributions in honor of Larry may be directed to the American Legion Bernard Hurst Post #77. Donations will be accepted in person at the visitation, or they can be mailed to 1290 Fairfield Avenue, Brookville, IN 47012.
To share fond memories, offer personal condolences, or to sign the online guestbook, please visit www.cookrosenberger.com. The staff of Cook Rosenberger Funeral Home are honored to care for Larry and his family during this time.
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