Fresh, Affordable Mexican Food Makes TacoTime a Best Bet Franchise

America is more obsessed with fresh food than ever and TacoTime has been ahead of the game for decades thanks to a focus on daily, in-house prep

TacoTime® Mexican food franchise stands out among the more than 50,000 Mexican food restaurants in the U.S. with its longstanding history of serving food prepared in-house with only the freshest ingredients. That by hand and from scratch approach is an anomaly in the QSR space where food tends to be mass produced and seasonings come in packets.

“TacoTime was built on the idea of offering great-tasting, affordable Mexican food and has stuck with that core goal for more than 50 years,” says Kevin Gingrich, President and multi-unit franchise owner. “Customers know what they want when they come into a TacoTime location, and we are going to give them the food, the service and the overall experience that they have come to expect.”

Legacy owners credit fresh food to customer loyalty

Many TacoTime customers grew up with the brand and they take their love for TacoTime’s signature fresh food with them wherever they put down roots. That legacy of devotion also encompasses the brand’s tight-knit franchisee family. Take TacoTime franchisees Denise and Lee Staley, for example. The Staleys are legacy owners who grew up with the TacoTime brand and who take pride in employing many in the local community. Lee’s parents were multi-unit franchisees and Denise and Lee took over the family business and expanded it with the opening of two new TacoTime locations.

Denise credits the longevity of their Wyoming-based TacoTime Mexican food franchise locations to a commitment to only the freshest of ingredients as well as an affordable menu.

“We’re known for fresh products, and how we make everything fresh every day and throughout the day, including our chips and shells. We’re known for that vs. for being quick,” she says.“We’re still doing things, like crisp burritos, that we did in the 1970s. You can’t go wrong with tacos, burritos and salads.”

In-house items set menu apart

At TacoTime the commitment to fresh food means a hands-on preparation process. You won’t find many Mexican restaurants, especially in the QSR space, that make their own salsas and taco shells and hand-roll their crisp burritos.

“The key difference with TacoTime is our taste profile and our proprietary spice blends. But our bigger unique factor is how many items we make in-house. The norm in the QSR space is where brands bring in products through the back door, maybe reheat it or just pour it out of a bag,” says Gingrich, who counts himself as a regular TacoTime diner. “At TacoTime we don’t do that. We cook it in-house, and that’s why it tastes better.”

TacoTime is ready for the spotlight. With more than 250 locations in the United States and Canada, the Mexican food franchise is ready to break out of its home turf in the Pacific Northwest and hit the national stage. TacoTime is looking for entrepreneurs who are passionate about bringing authentic and affordable Mexican food to their communities. TacoTime is led by a veteran franchise team and dedicated brand support team as part of the Kahala Brands™ family.

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