Tacos & Co. to Franchise Restaurants

This entry doesn't exactly fit with our normal content here but I'm posting it since people are always searching for Mexican restaurant franchises to get into so here's a press release from Tacos & Co. about their franchising plans:

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NEW YORK – NY The fresh and bold flavors of Tacos & Co. may be coming to a neighborhood near you! Tacos & Co., Orange County's wildly popular Mexican restaurants renowned for their authentic cuisine, has just announced that they have become a franchise company. Although the current focus is to offer franchise opportunities in Southern California, trends point to the restaurant's increased popularity - and with that, opportunities for locations throughout the state, West Coast, nationally and eventually internationally.

Tacos & Co. Founder/Owner Francisco Hernandez turned to franchise industry giant Francorp - whose successes include Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs, Pizzeria Uno, Johnny Rocket's, Le Croissant Shops, Bread Basket and Popeye's Fried Chicken - to initiate this new phase for the company. Since the opening of his first restaurant in 1991, Tacos & Co. has gained a following in the Orange County area, leading to its expansion to five locations (and counting). However, besides building a successful company, the journey from immigrant to restaurateur is what many find to be most impressive about Hernandez. After laboring in such jobs as picking grapes and washing dishes, he moved permanently to Los Angeles at the age of sixteen, became a United States citizen in 1986, attended California State University at Long Beach, and continued in the restaurant business.

In creating Tacos & Co. and its menu, Hernandez drew inspiration from home-style favorites and the street-food stands of his youth, resulting in traditional Mexican standards and combinations tailored for Southern California tastes. Known for his dedication to authenticity and fresh, homemade food, ingredients are not shipped from a warehouse – they are bought fresh and prepared daily at each location. As a way of giving back, Tacos & Co. offers a phenomenal 50% off all food to students who attend area colleges (Tuesdays and Thursdays with valid student ID) and high schools (Fridays, accompanied by an adult). In addition, Francisco has created Tacos & Co.'s own ingenious fundraising program, which allows students and charitable organizations to create and promote their own fundraising events at Tacos & Co., with a portion of all sales going to the school or organization. Francisco even allows "volunteers" to work in the restaurant for the night to really make each event their own!

"The time is right to expand our concept of Mexican dining to other areas and markets," said Hernandez of his decision to franchise. "I am excited about the prospect of seeing Tacos & Co. restaurants in neighborhoods across the country and eventually around the globe."

Taco & Co. restaurants are currently located in Westminster, Santa Ana, Irvine, Newport Beach and Brea, CA.


For more information on Francisco Hernandez and Tacos & Co., please contact:

Tracey Henry
Type A Media
212-226 - 3175 (P)
212-226 - 3978 (F)
tracey@type-a-media.com

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Enchilada Platter

CLICK HERE to read all our Tacos & Co. coverage and stay tuned for even more coverage.

Enjoy Tacos & Co. on the Beach or at Your Next Picnic

Just got this press release from Tacos & Co.:

A picnic or trip to the beach doesn’t have to mean soggy sandwiches, greasy fried chicken and runny potato salad. Thanks to Tacos & Co., you can have the fresh and authentic Mexican favorites that you love at your next outing! Tacos & Co., the Orange County Mexican restaurant chain (Westminster, Santa Ana, Irvine, Newport Beach and Brea) that has served the area since 1991, invites you to bring their delectable Family Packs and Party Trays to your outdoor summer parties and events.

A Tacos & Co. Family Pack of tacos is sure to liven up your next picnic or family reunion. Featuring enough tortillas, fillings (chicken, carne asada, carnitas and pastor), sides (including chips and salsa, rice and beans, quesadillas, taquitos) and even utensils for 4 to 12 people, a Family Pack is an affordable and convenient dining option. Prices for packs range from $19.99 for 4-6 people to $49.99 for 10-12 people, but of course you can always mix and match them if you need to feed an army!

Your beach blanket soirée won’t be complete without a Tacos & Co. Party Tray. Choose from large platters of hard tacos ($29.99), burritos ($39.99), taquitos ($29.99), tacos California ($29.99) and quesadillas ($19.99 or $29.99 with meat) for easy group dining on the go.

Get out of the kitchen and let Tacos & Co. take care of your summer outdoor dining!

Please visit www.tacosnco.com for more information.

Tacos & Co.'s Taco Eating Contest Results

The Taco Eating Contest on Monday, April 7, 2008 at Tacos & Co. in Irvine was a huge success. There were 23 contestants, mostly from UCI and a few walk-in customers also ended up participating.


The winner was Karina Muniz (a walk-in customer and the only woman who participated) who ate 8 California Tacos (chicken, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese on a corn on a soft corn tortilla) in 4 minutes. She won a $100 gift certificate. UCI student Jeff Fong came in second and won a $50 gift certificate after eating 7 tacos in 4 minutes and then winning a tiebreaker after eating 3½ tacos in 1 minute.

Second place winner Jeff Fong:


First place winner Karina Muniz:

Tacos & Co. Taco Eating Contest

Tacos & Co. to Host Taco Eating Contest for Irvine Area College Students

This just in from Tacos & Co.'s PR department:

Calling all college students! Your hearty appetite can earn you or your organization a break from cafeteria food!

Tacos & Co., the Orange County eateries known for fresh and authentic Mexican favorites, challenges you to stuff your face with all the tacos that you can eat.

On Monday, April 7, 2008 at 7:00 pm, Tacos & Co. will host a Taco Eating Contest at its Irvine restaurant. The first place winner or their organization will receive a Tacos & Co. $100 gift certificate while the second place winner will receive one for $50. However, Tacos & Co.'s tasty and delicious tacos are enough to make every participant feel like a winner.

Don't forget to take advantage of Tacos & Co.'s phenomenal 50% off all food deal for students who attend area colleges every Tuesday and Thursday (with valid student ID).

To register for the April 7th Taco Eating Contest at Tacos & Co. at Irvine, please contact tacosnco@netzero.com. Tacos & Co. Irvine is located at 18092 Culver Drive (Culver & Michelson). Space is limited, so enter NOW!

Click HERE or on the "tacos and co." label below to read all our Tacos & Co. coverage including our extensive review of their Irvine location:

Tacos & Co. - Review #1

Tacos & Co. 18092 Culver Dr Irvine, CA 92612 (949) 653-8081 Listing on Yahoo! Local Listing on AOL's CityGuide Official Site

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About a month or so ago I was contacted by Nancy Luna (The OC Register's "Fast Food Maven") asking what I knew about a small Mexican chain called Tacos & Co since she was just about to interview their owner. I replied that I'd been to their location in the food court at Westminster Mall a few times but not since I began this blog and that my memory of them was that they were a good overall generalized representation of Mexican food that would appeal to anyone having their first exposure to Mexican food while also pleasing anyone who'd been eating Mexican food all their life.

A day after Nancy's report appeared on line I had a chance to stop by the Irvine location of Tacos & Co. for some breakfast and to try out what else? the huevos rancheros.

With two eggs overeasy, rice, beans, chips, ranchero sauce, sour cream, and guacamole you can pick out one of five salsas from the salsa bar to go with your huevos rancheros and start your day out right.

Their salsa bar is strictly gradated from Very Mild to Mild to Medium Hot to Hot to Very Hot so you'll always know how much spiciness you are getting.

When you go to the Irvine location you have to find the hidden menu to order items "From the Stands of Mexico" such as the Torta Cubana with big cubes of ham in it:

Or the sopes, which are like tostadas but on a thicker cornmeal "boat," rather than a crisp corn tortilla shell. I got one with chicken and one with carnitas meat:

And I'm still wanting to go back and try out the shrimp ceviche which Nancy recommended.

Tacos & Co. also offers catering services and is versatile enough to be able to "cater" to all different palates, preferences, and dietary needs. Francisco explained that people of several different ethnicities have utilized his services to cater their weddings.

If you have a craving for Mexican food and can't decide if you want fast food or fast casual or fine dining or "hole-in-the-wall" food you are guaranteed to find something you'll like at Tacos & Co., which earns a four Speedy Gonzales rating:



You can also read about a subsequent visit of mine at Griffin Eats OC, where new food blogger Griffin Tamura gives even more information about Tacos & Co.

Here's a few more pictures: