Built on Memories of Mexico, Poloco Snack Bar Found a Home in San Antonio
Behind every small business is a story most customers never see. For Poloco Snack Bar, that story includes childhood memories, years of planning, a stolen catering trailer, and the determination to keep going.
Just a few months after opening their doors, the owners of Poloco Snack Bar, Mireya and Gabby Hinojosa, faced a setback that could have ended their business before it found its footing.
In late December 2025, a catering trailer was stolen in broad daylight outside the San Antonio snack shop. The trailer held nearly everything needed to operate Boca Santa, their catering venture.
For the sisters, the loss represented years of planning and investment. But it also revealed their resilience and deep connection with the community.
A Business Built on Childhood Memories
Poloco Snack Bar opened in September 2025 at 5322 San Pedro Avenue with a concept rooted in the sisters’ memories of growing up in Mexico.
“My sister and I have always loved Mexican street snacks,” Mireya Hinojosa told Spotlight San Antonio via email. “Growing up, those treats were a big part of our childhood and family memories.”
After noticing there weren’t many places in San Antonio serving those snacks the way they remembered from Mexico, the sisters set out to recreate them using homemade recipes and fresh ingredients. “We wanted to create a place that felt nostalgic,” Hinojosa said. “It became a way to share a piece of our culture with the community.”
Today, Poloco’s menu includes elote, raspas, fruit cups, papitas, homemade paletas, aguas frescas, seasonal fruit creations, and more.
“Our elote blanco has definitely been our most popular item this summer,” Hinojosa said. “We make it from the mazorca, using a process very similar to how corn is cooked in the streets of Mexico, so it has that authentic flavor people remember.”
Fresh fruit and aguas frescas have also become customer favorites during San Antonio’s summer heat. For first-time visitors, Hinojosa recommends trying the elote blanco and the fresh turrón.
From Snack Bar to Catering Concept
The sisters eventually expanded beyond the shop with Boca Santa, a catering business inspired by the street vendors they grew up seeing in Mexico.
“We designed it around the push carts many of us grew up seeing, serving tacos, churros, flautas, and traditional snacks in a way that brought back childhood memories and the authentic street food experience,” Hinojosa said.
The concept featured interactive food stations and live preparation, bringing a piece of Mexico’s street food culture to private events across San Antonio.
Then, just months after Poloco opened, Boca Santa’s equipment was stolen.
A Major Setback
According to KENS 5 reporting, surveillance footage showed a man arriving outside Poloco Snack Bar around 8:40 a.m. on December 28, 2025. Video captured the suspect breaking the lock on an enclosed trailer, attaching it to what appeared to be a maroon Ford Expedition, and driving away.
Inside was the family’s catering operation, including a custom hot cart, tables, serving equipment, and supplies used for Boca Santa events.
“Unfortunately, Boca Santa didn’t recover after the theft,” Hinojosa said. “Losing the trailer was a huge setback. We lost more than $12,000 worth of equipment, along with countless hours of work and so much of our heart.”
But Poloco’s growth was a light, and it was getting brighter. “Around that same time, Poloco started growing much faster than we ever expected, so we made the difficult decision to put all of our energy into building it,” she shared.
The Community Response
As news of the theft spread, fellow business owners, customers, and community members stepped in to help. People shared surveillance footage, reposted updates online, and offered encouragement during a difficult time.
“It honestly meant everything,” Hinojosa said. “Starting a business is already challenging, and something like that could have made us give up. Instead, we saw strangers, other local businesses, and our customers rally behind us.”
That support continues to influence how the family approaches their business.
“It reminded us why we love this community so much,” she said. “That experience is one of the reasons we try to give back whenever we can.”
One of the ways they give back is through their community fund, which supports local families, schools, nonprofits, and community events.
Looking Ahead
While Boca Santa remains on pause, they haven’t given up on the idea. Hinojosa said she hopes to restart the catering business alongside Poloco one day.
The snack bar also has seen its share of changes since the theft. Today, Mireya Hinojosa runs Poloco Snack Bar with her husband, while Gabby Hinojosa has branched out into new ventures, marking a new era for the family-owned business.
For now, their focus remains on growing the snack bar and creating a place where people can reconnect with familiar flavors and memories.
“We want Poloco to be a place where people can come and feel a little closer to Mexico,” She said. “If five years from now we’re still making people feel at home, creating opportunities for others, and giving back, we’ll consider ourselves successful.”
For the Hinojosa family, Poloco Snack Bar has always been about sharing a piece of home, and that’s a vision they continue to build every day, no matter the setbacks.
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