VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Bro's Fish Tacos started on wheels in Hampton Roads.
"We did the food truck thing for about seven or eight years," said owner Jacob Harver.
Then, finally, after years of becoming a well-known food truck, they took a big step, "about three years ago in October, we opened this place up," Harver nodded as he looked around his Virginia Beach location.
Serving the community is not a new concept for Harver.
"Well, I was a firefighter. I was a medic firefighter in Hampton for about 10 years," he said.
Harver said that as a firefighter when he wasn't working, he found odd jobs in the community.
"Every firefighter has a second job. So I was doing everything from making cornhole boards to massage therapy," he continued. "And then the food truck idea just kind of popped into my head one night, sleepless night at the fire station."
After that, he said it was all finding the perfect recipe. Harver chose fish tacos with intention.
"I grew up in southern California, and when I moved here, there weren't many places that did great fish tacos or fish tacos in general," he explained. So he says he started cooking, trying out recipe after recipe, and in his words, the tacos "took off."
There's a reason the food is so good. It's because it's made fresh.
"All of our produce is fresh, all of our fish is wild-caught, we make everything right on site, nothing's made ahead of time. Everything's pretty much fresh when hitting your table," explained Harver.
He went on to say the top two things you should try are the fried flounder and the blackened tuna tacos. Those are the Bro's Fish Tacos staples. If you're in the mood for something sweet, they have that too. Ask for an order of churro donuts with their sweet glaze on the side.
Harver said though they now have a stable building, COVID-19 has made business pretty unpredictable. However, businesses and churches stepped up and helped during the hard times, ordering bulk orders.
Community is essential to Harver. He told 13News Now that they wouldn't be where they are today without the local support.
"I never would've thought, even owning a food truck back in the day, that I would have customers that come in here three times a week and eat. It just never crossed my mind. But those kind of... that kind of support, is you know, you can't pay for it. You know what I mean?" he raised his hands and smiled.
They are planning on opening a second location in the future. Harver said he's looking into potential spots in Chesapeake and Virginia Beach. He said those plans are in his sights but not on the drawing board just yet.
You can visit Bro's Fish Tacos at 277 N Lynnhaven Rd Suite 116, Virginia Beach, VA 23452.