Jimboy's Tacos facts for kids
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| Private | |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Genre | Fast food restaurant |
| Founded | 1954 Kings Beach, California |
| Headquarters | , |
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Number of locations
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40 plus (2022) |
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Area served
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United States |
Jimboy's Tacos is a popular fast food restaurant chain and franchise. They serve tasty Mexican-American style food.
The company was started in 1954 by Jim and Margaret Knudsen. Their main office is in Folsom, California.
Their most famous dish is a special taco. It has ground beef, cheese, and lettuce, all dusted with parmesan cheese. In 2022, Jimboy's Tacos had over 40 restaurants. These locations were in California, Nevada, and Texas.
What Makes Jimboy's Tacos Special?
Jimboy's Tacos calls its special taco "The Original American Taco." A company spokesperson once said they don't see their food as traditional Mexican food. This means they have their own unique style.
What's on the Menu?
The most famous item on the menu is their parmesan-dusted taco. It's filled with ground beef, cheese, and shredded lettuce.
Other taco fillings include pork carnitas. They also have something called a taco burger. This taco burger has a halved hamburger patty inside. It also comes with diced tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, and shredded cheese. Plus, it has a "special sauce" that tastes like a tangy mayonnaise.
Many Mexican restaurants in the Kansas City area also serve parmesan tacos. It seems this dish was created in both places separately.
Jimboy's Tacos also serves burritos with slightly crispy outsides. Most locations also offer special craft beers.
The Story of Jimboy's Tacos
In 1949, Jim and Margaret Knudsen visited a friend's house for dinner. They tried tacos for the very first time. Jim had experience in the food business. He thought tacos could be popular with everyone. So, he created his own taco recipe.
He added his new recipe to the menu of his restaurant, "Jimmy's 49er Cafe." This cafe was in Grass Valley, California. At first, customers were not very excited about trying the new taco. But slowly, it became more and more popular.
In 1954, Jim and Margaret changed a 16-foot trailer into a mobile kitchen. A regular customer started calling Jim "Jimboy." This nickname inspired them to change their restaurant's name to "Jimboy's Spanish Tacos."
Around the summer of 1954, the couple moved their trailer to Kings Beach, California. This spot is on the north shore of Lake Tahoe. Their new restaurant quickly became popular. Even celebrities like the cast of the Bonanza TV show, who filmed nearby, and members of the Rat Pack, who performed at casinos, enjoyed their tacos.
