News

Taco Del Mar Restaurants Swell in San Diego County

Growing, Fast Casual Mexican Food Concept Gains Momentum  

July 10, 2005

SEATTLE, July 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Just seven months after opening the first California store in Poway, Master Developers John Boyken and Bertha Edington plan to have up to 10 Taco Del Mar restaurants open throughout San Diego County by year's end. The fast-casual Mexican restaurant, featuring mondo burritos and rippin tacos was conceived in San Diego, took root in Seattle in 1992, and now boasts 135 restaurants in several states and British Columbia. In San Diego, seven franchisees plan to open multiple restaurants, and two of them are currently developing two sites each. By late July, three Taco Del Mar restaurants will be operating, including Poway (opened Dec. 2004); Colgan Family Enterprises' Westfield Plaza Camino Real location in Carlsbad opening July 28; and a conversion of the former Fins Mexican Eatery in Mission Valley at Fenton Marketplace opening July 21. An additional five leases are being secured now. The "kitchenless kitchen" of each Taco Del Mar scales down the need for retail square footage, reduces labor cost, and facilitates a low cost of entry for franchisees. Fresh and tasty food is prepared without grilling and frying, eliminating grills and fryers, simplifies the operation and reduces investment. Delicious fresh-Mex meals are prepared to the customer's liking in front of them. The initial investment to open a Taco Del Mar is between $120,000 and $245,000 depending on location and capacity, roughly less than one-fifth the cost of opening a restaurant with a full working kitchen with fryers and grills. Taco Del Mar is one of the largest, privately-held, fast-casual Mexican restaurant franchises not affiliated with burger chains or foodservice conglomerates.                Taco Del Mar co-founder James Schmidt is a University of California, San Diego CONNECT entrepreneur program alum. He created Taco Del Mar based on San Diego and Baja's funky, shoreline shacks dishing fresh, filling burritos and tacos. Entrepreneur magazine named Taco Del Mar to its Franchise 500 in January. Each restaurant offers 24-ounce mondo burritos, fish tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, kids meals, salads, vegetarian and vegan selections. Store decor festively sets the "Inner Baja" mood with vibrant surf murals, thatched umbrellas, and longboard tabletops. Learn more about the rising wave of Taco Del Mar at http://www.tacodelmar.com.