Operations

Taco Del Mar ready to grow with local focus, great food

Taco Del Mar once had upwards of 300 stores. Now, wth just under 100, and new ownership, the brand is eager to grow with a local focus and great food.

Provided

April 25, 2022 by Mandy Wolf Detwiler — Editor, Networld Media Group

Owning a franchise and bringing in a taste of the local atmosphere is a dream for many restaurateurs. At Taco Del Mar, it has become standard operations for each of its nearly 100 stores to steep in the neighborhoods where each one sits.

It's an effective method, Brent Phillip, vice president of marketing and digital experience for the brand, said in a phone interview. He said each store has its own local flavor.

Taco Del Mar began in 1992 in Seattle, Washington, when brothers James and John Schmidt, inspired by college travels, wanted to bring a piece of Baja, California, back to the Pacific Northwest. Since taco joints dotted the California coast, they thought locals in the Seattle area would love the food option as well. The brothers created a menu focused on Baja flavors like fish tacos and massive mission-style burritos gaining popularity at the time.

Franchising efforts

Today, Taco Del Mar has just under 100 units, but had nearly 300 during the '90s and 2000s, including international locations. The company is now focused on growing, with all restaurants franchise owned. Rego Restaurant Group acquired the brand in 2018 and is the most recent support center and franchisor of Taco Del Mar. Prior to that it was owned by Franchise Brands, which owned Subways at the time, Phillip said.

When the founders were franchising, they used a master franchise agreement, so they were able to open restaurants rapidly. That rapid expansion in some areas was difficult to support. In the early 2000s, some restaurants opened in markets without the brand recognition needed for success.

"For a restaurant that is a first that is not followed by many in a specific market, it is difficult to support that restaurant with food. It is also difficult to support that restaurant with training, ongoing development and service-center support," Phillip said.

There was a period of closure because of too-fast over extension. The brand went through some tumultuous years before the sale to Rego. Since then, Taco Del Mar has built a smaller footprint and has been able maintain more restaurants which put the brand in a position to grow.

Taco Del Mar expects to open a handful of stores in 2022 in some existing markets and new markets as well. Rego Restaurant Group plans to be very dedicated and involved with the restaurants that are scheduled to open.

"We are also taking an approach that offers a different model of restaurant, one that is geared far more toward convenience while still providing made-to-order food," Phillip said.

Many of the restaurants are located in and around Seattle, but stores are also located in core markets like Portland, Oregon, and Vancouver, B.C. Taco Del Mar uses a distribution company to deliver proprietary items.

On the menu

"The menu today is still rooted in those long-loved favorites, like the Rippin' Fish Taco and the Massive, Legendary Burrito," Phillip said. "The fish taco stands alone as a chef-inspired recipe. It's is what you expect from a great fish taco. It's topped with pico de gallo, a made-in-house tangy white Baja sauce, and fresh cabbage."

The burritos are filled with toppings of a guest's choosing, with proteins like shrimp, shredded beef or chicken and pulled pork carnitas, Mexican-seasoned rice and beans.

The brand has five sauces made-in-house: a salsa verde; roasted chipotle; hot habanero; mango and a corn salsa. Beyond that, toppings include vegetables like cabbage, cilantro, tomatoes and lettuce and guacamole, cheese and sour cream.

The restaurants have set menus that customers have come to love and expect continuity at whatever location they stop at. A good relationship with their distribution company, and having a great a relationship with franchisees, is helping maintain continuity across the brand.

Locally owned and operated

The Mexican QSR and fast casual spaces are two of the most densely populated with competitors.

"In North America, I think the consumer has appropriately demanded Mexican in a quick-serve setting," Phillip said. "This space is not going to get any less crowded."

So how does Taco Del Mar excel in such a crowded field? It has made its menu more exciting and more diverse than its competitors, the value of a meal at Taco Del Mar is better and the "incredible brand heritage and regionality of the brand and it's independence," makes it a standout, Phillip said.

Also, each Taco Del Mar is steeped in the culture of the location in which it is built.

"We've heard from many guests that visiting Taco Del Mar is like visiting a neighborhood joint," Phillip said. "It's not the same cookie-cutter experience across the board (with the) same stainless steel, uncomfortable seating in ever restaurant."

Each Taco Del Mar has its own communal vibe with a locally-owned franchisee who is part of the community. It imbibes a feeling of nostalgia and being recognized.

Marketing is out of the box and witty. Unlike other brands, they're able to be more creative. For example, on April 20 the brand offered a BOGO burrito because "we roll fat burrito," Phillip said.

While advertising is done at the corporate level, franchisees participate in local-store marketing, like local newspaper and radio ads or digital marketing. All of the marketing is centered around the idea of local commitment.

"We take a very targeted approach to reach guests that are specific to our neighborhoods," said Phillip.

About Mandy Wolf Detwiler

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Mandy Wolf Detwiler is the managing editor at Networld Media Group and the site editor for PizzaMarketplace.com and QSRweb.com. She has more than 20 years’ experience covering food, people and places.
 
An award-winning print journalist, Mandy brings more than 20 years’ experience to Networld Media Group. She has spent nearly two decades covering the pizza industry, from independent pizzerias to multi-unit chains and every size business in between. Mandy has been featured on the Food Network and has won numerous awards for her coverage of the restaurant industry. She has an insatiable appetite for learning, and can tell you where to find the best slices in the country after spending 15 years traveling and eating pizza for a living. 

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