Operations
Torchy's Tacos reopens nearly all dining rooms
CEO of Torchy's Tacos GJ Hart said he is seeing promising numbers in stores where the company has reopened dining rooms in Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado and Arkansas.
June 1, 2020 by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com
Torchy's Tacos CEO GJ Hart said he is seeing promising numbers in stores where the company has reopened dining rooms in Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado and Arkansas. Like many restaurants around the U.S., the company pivoted to a 100% off-premise model when the pandemic emerged.
As of this week, the chain has opened about 90% of its dining rooms
"Our goal is to continue positioning ourselves to be a stronger brand than ever before once the pandemic has passed," Hart said during an interview with FastCasual. "These are unprecedented times and we, like the entire restaurant industry, are doing our best to deal with the significant challenges. As such, we did have to make some difficult decisions to preserve the long-term business, including furloughing some team members and temporarily closing a small number of locations such as those proximate to college campuses."
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| CEO Torchy's Tacos GJ Hart said he's seeing promising numbers in stores where the company has reopened dining rooms in Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado and Arkansas. |
"It is our priority to return team members to work as quickly as business conditions allow, and we are already doing so at most of our locations."
As the Austin-based chain reopens dining rooms, Hart said it has added several safety measures to keep guests and team members safe, including frequent cleaning and sanitizing of all surfaces and high-contact areas throughout the day, social distancing and observing occupancy requirements, ensuring proper glove and mask use for team members, and conducting team member wellness checks.
"We'll continue to reopen dining rooms on a case-by-case basis as we're able to safely do so where permitted," he said.
Hart said his team moved quickly to the off-premise model, giving credit it to the chain's managing partners, who invested in their restaurants in exchange for a portion of the operating profit.
"There is a sense that we are all in this together, and that we will all do what we can to ensure we're still safely providing our guests with the food they crave via delivery, curbside pickup and in several cases, impromptu drive-thrus," he said.
The pandemic has not stopped Torchy's from expanding, opening one unit in March in Louisiana, an entirely new state for the brand.
"We opened the restaurant as takeout-only for the time being, and the great response we saw from that gives us a positive outlook as we look ahead," said Hart, who had created a five-year plan in 2019 to open 20 locations this year.
"We are evaluating each of these planned openings on a case-by-case basis, as the current situation, as well as state and local ordinances, continue to evolve," Hart said. "However, while timelines may understandably shift, we are optimistic and remain focused on delivering our growth plan as close to our original timeline as is feasible."
Along with pivoting to delivery and carryout only orders, the chain has also been focused on menu and packaging innovation.
"We're focused on making household mealtime easy with new Taco Family Packs and Margarita Kits, as well as alcohol delivery, where permissible, that offer our guests a convenient meal solution that brings the Torchy's experience home," Hart said. "The response has been extremely positive from our guests and we are pleased to be able to bring them some Torchy's hospitality at home."
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