Taco John's

Infobox_Company
company_name = Taco John's
company_
company_type = Private
company_slogan = The Fresh Taste of West-Mex(r)
foundation = 1969
location = Cheyenne, Wyoming
key_people =
industry = Food
products =
num_employees =
revenue = | homepage = [http://www.tacojohns.com www.tacojohns.com]

Taco John's is a Cheyenne, Wyoming based fast-food restaurant featuring Mexican fast-food (which the chain calls 'West-Mex'). The chain was founded in 1969 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and currently has more than 400 Taco John’s restaurants in 24 states.

History

John Turner started the Taco House restaurant in 1968 after being stationed at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne and serving in the United States Army Air Corps during the Korean War. He sold the franchise rights to Taco House to Jim Woodsen and Harold Holmes, who changed the brand to Taco John's.

While Taco John's targeted smaller Midwestern and Western communities in its early years, the chain has recently begun to open locations in larger metropolitan areas like Denver, Kansas City, and Omaha. [cite web|author=FundingUniverse.com|title=Taco John's International, Inc., Company History|url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Taco-Johns-International-Inc-Company-History.html|accessdate=2006-12-14] Taco John's also operates several outlets serving the U.S. Armed Forces through the Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES), taking advantage of an opportunity offered to the company after the market leader, Taco Bell, declined to participate.

In 2004, Taco John's began to partner with Good Times Burgers & Frozen Custard and Steak Escape to open co-branded restaurants [cite web|author=www.tacojohns.com|title=Taco John's Opens First Co-Branded Store in Cheyenne |url=http://www.tacojohns.com/news-2004-04-02.asp|accessdate=2007-10-14] [cite web|author=www.qsrmagazine.com|title=Good Times, Taco John's Test Co-Branding |url=http://www.qsrmagazine.com/articles/news/story.phtml?id=4205|accessdate=2007-10-14] .

2006 E. coli outbreak

In December 2006, a reported 50 people became sick and 18 people were hospitalized after eating at a Taco John's restaurant in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Shortly after that, Minnesota health officials reported that an additional 27 people became ill after eating at Taco John's restaurants in Albert Lea and Austin. [cite news|first=Tony|last=Leys|title=Bad Lettuce Suspected in E. Coli Outbreak|url=http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2006612140386|work=Des Moines Register|date=2006-12-14] On December 14, Black Hawk County (Iowa) health officials stated that lettuce tainted with E. coli. That same day, a Cedar Falls couple filed a lawsuit against Taco John's after their nine-year-old daughter was hospitalized for symptoms of E. coli. [cite news|title=Cedar Falls Couple Files Lawsuit Against Taco John's|url=http://www.kcci.com/health/10536077/detail.html|work=KCCI.com|date=2006-12-14] Taco John's dropped its produce supplier, Bix Produce of St. Paul, Minnesota, as a result of the outbreaks. This incident came about at the same time as an unrelated E. coli outbreak at Taco Bell restaurants in the Northeastern United States. [ [http://www.about-ecoli.com/ecoli_outbreaks/news/fda-says-e-coli-strain-traced-to-california-dairy-farms/ FDA says E. coli strain traced to California dairy farms] ]

Menu items

Lunch/Dinner Foods

Taco John's has adopted "West-Mex" as a definition of their food and service attitude, and now holds a trademark on the term. "West-Mex" food is defined by the company as being about fresh, bold flavors due to the inclusion of their crisp potato nuggets branded as "Potato Olés" (see below), sauces, spices and salsas.

Breakfast Menu

Some franchises offer a breakfast menu. Many of the items on the menu utilize a combination of Potato Oles, eggs, sausage, bacon and a flour tortilla. Selections include breakfast versions of tacos and burritos.

Potato Olés

Potato Olés are Taco John's signature item, and one of their most closely-held trademarked items. Potato Olés are round, bite-sized potato nuggets, or crowns (which are similar to tater tots, but slightly smaller) that are deep fried, and then coated with a special blend of spices and seasonings unique to the company.

Potato Olés are also included as a filling in several different burritos (beef, chicken, steak and Crunchy Chicken versions of its Meat and Potato Burrito,as well as their Grilled Burrito with the same protein options)( much like Taco Bell's 1/2 lb. burrito) , and many of the breakfast items.

Olés are also featured in their Super Potato Olés platers which come in small and regular sizes and are mostly made of Olés covered in nacho cheese, beef, beans, and other Mexican ingredients.

In the early/mid 1980s, Potato Olés went through a metamorphosis. Before they were seasoned crispy crowns, they were a cylendrical-shaped treat with center fillings of refried beans, cheese or meat.

Desserts

Three items are normally on the dessert menu, including churros: a star shaped, long pastry coated with cinnamon sugar. Chaco-Taco: a frozen waffle cone made in the shape of a taco shell that has chocolate and Vanilla Ice cream in it also with almond bits. The last one which is not available at most stores is the Apple Grande: A cinnamon puff pastry with apple filling and shredded cheese and red cinnamon sugar on top.

easonal Items

During the Christmas holiday season, Taco John's offers Nachos Navidad, a nacho platter with red and green colored tortilla chips. Jose Feliciano's song "Feliz Navidad" is used in the commercials, and Feliciano speaks of celebrating the holiday "the Mexican way" with Nachos Navidad. A portion of sales from this item is donated to charity. They also offer a holiday churro covered in red and green sugar.

Advertising

Taco John's early mascot, depicted on their street signage above the words "The Hottest Spot In Town," was a devil character. Later mascots were versions of a cartoonish, perhaps stereotypical, Mexican character named Juan with a giant sombrero and a donkey named Pépé. [http://www.geocities.com/colosseum/7652/taco.html] However, the figure was replaced in the mid-90's by a more modern, artistic image.

Taco John's current advertising icon is Whiplash The Cowboy Monkey, a popular rodeo attraction and PRCA Entertainer of the Year, who rides on his dog Ben to the rescue of hungry taco lovers. For the Nachos Navidad spots, Whiplash and Ben are seen stringing lights on a tree. Due to their short stature, however, only the bottom half of the tree is lit.

References

External links

* [http://www.tacojohns.com/ Taco John's website]