2016. That was the year that Jose Lupian began operating Pupusas To-go. At least, officially. That was when he registered the name. Before then, Lupian used to sell pupusas out of his house. He always had a knack for making pupusas.

This knack was a byproduct of his mother’s love for cooking. Well before his pupusas, Lupian’s mother had a location in a gas station on the corner of Gaston and Fitzhugh Avenue, selling burritos, quesadillas and hamburgers. She would eventually sell the restaurant to Lupian and as word got out about the pupusas, the more popular Papusas to-go would become.

Lupian was about 14 or 15 years old when he realized his love for food extended beyond the kitchen and into the business of dining when he began working at a taqueria.

“I enjoyed the excitement of it. When it starts getting busy, the adrenaline and plus, I like putting things together,” Lupian says.

Lupian was a bit fearful when it came to running his own restaurant. He worked retail for 20 years before taking over his own business, and the sudden change of pace was jarring.

“It’s a big jump, having something that you’re gonna get every week, a paycheck from, to depending on yourself,” Lupian says.

His time in retail taught him a few things he realized could give him an edge as he looked for ways to make Pupusas to-go grow.

“I enjoyed the excitement of it. When it starts getting busy, the adrenaline and plus, I like putting things together,”

“I worked at Sam’s Club and Central Market, and they’re pretty big on samples,” Lupian says. “I started giving out pupusas to people, and they were kind of surprised, because nobody was giving something to them for free, but for me to get the word out, I realized that we had to start giving out pupusas for free.”

On November 2 of 2023, Pupusas to-go moved into its current location on N. Fitzhugh and Columbia Avenue.

Lupian’s biggest lessons in this past year on Fitzhugh? Patience and consistency.

Consistency with the recipes and the way food is prepared and having patience with establishing a flow and routine. The mastering of these lessons has brought a new endeavor to the forefront for Lupian and his family.

He shares that the eatery is planning a second location in Garland. This one will be a drive through and is about “80% done.”

Even with several years under his belt, the prospect of a new, larger location can be daunting. But Lupian has involved his family in every step of the process.

“That older lady you see there is my mom — she stuck around because, like I said, you know, she enjoys cooking, so she helps me out. And the other lady there is my wife,” Lupian says.

His children, who are both in their twenties, are involved with the restaurant as well, something that puts him at ease.

“It’s a family thing,” Lupian says. “We want to keep it to where it’s a family business.”

While pupusas are the main attraction for most patrons, the eatery has breakfast burritos, tacos, hamburgers, quesadillas and tortas. Lupian says that as a customer of other restaurants, he can easily sort out when food has been made with a lack of passion or intention. In his eyes, visitors should leave Pupusas to-go tasting the quality of the food because it’s simply ingrained into their process.

“You can taste it just by trying the food,” Lupian says. “It’s just the way that we work here.”

Photography by Kathy Tran.

Pupusas to-go, 108 N Fitzhugh Ave, Dallas, TX 75246