A judge in Indiana, United States, made a historic ruling: a taco is legally considered a sandwich.
On Monday, May 20, in Fort Wayne, Indiana, a judge ruled that tacos are ‘Mexican-style sandwiches.’ Although a local zoning issue usually doesn’t make national news, this one was hard to ignore. The judge took the sandwich question seriously in a civil case, but seemed to arrive at the wrong conclusion.
The reason behind the “taco debate”
The judge’s ruling stemmed from an unusual situation involving a Mexican entrepreneur named Martín Quintana, who attempted to open a branch of his chain, ‘The Famous Taco.‘ However, the mall where he wanted to set up shop denied him permission because their regulations prohibited any fast food establishments, though businesses selling any type of ‘sandwiches’ were allowed. This led Quintana to a creative legal workaround.
While seeking zoning approvals from the local planning commission, Quintana reached a written agreement with a nearby neighborhood association stating that any restaurant in the mall would only sell ‘made-to-order sandwiches or sub-style sandwiches.’
The provision was intended to protect the mall from certain fast-food chains. If Quintana wanted to proceed with his plan, he would need to find a way to amend the agreement or argue in a civil court that tacos are sandwiches. It wasn’t an ideal argument, but it had to be made.
Judge Craig J. Bobay of the Allen County Superior Court made a clear decision: ‘The Court agrees with Quintana that tacos and burritos are Mexican-style sandwiches, and the original written agreement does not restrict potential restaurants to only American-style sandwiches.’
