Taco John's facts for kids
Logo of Taco John's used since 2021
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Taco John's restaurant in Cheyenne, Wyoming, in July 2013
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Trade name
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Taco John's |
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| Private | |
| Industry | Restaurants |
| Genre | Fast food |
| Founded | March 14, 1969 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, one year after its roots as Taco House. |
| Founders | Jim Woodson and Harold Holmes |
| Headquarters |
808 West 20th Street, Cheyenne, Wyoming
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Number of locations
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 379 as of December 29, 2021[update] |
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Area served
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Key people
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| Products | |
| Revenue | US$106.8 million (2021) |
| Owners | Carolyn O'Connor and Bart Taylor |
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Number of employees
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8,000 (2019) |
Taco John's International, Inc. is a popular American fast food restaurant. They serve tasty Mexican-inspired fast food. Their most famous item is Potato Olés. These are small, deep-fried potato bites covered in a special mix of spices.
The company's CEO is Jim Creel. Its main office is in Cheyenne, Wyoming. In 2022, Taco John's had 380 restaurants. These were spread across 22 states. Most of them were in the Midwest and Mountain regions.
Contents
The Story of Taco John's
How It All Started
Taco John's began in 1968. It was a small trailer called Taco House. A man named John Turner ran it. Turner was an officer in the United States Air Force. He was also an entrepreneur, someone who starts businesses.
He wanted to find a place for a taco stand. He met James Woodson, who sent him to Harold W. Holmes. Holmes quickly turned a camper into a trailer. It was ready just in time for Cheyenne Frontier Days. The taco stand was a big hit! Later that year, the first official taco stand opened. It was still called Taco House.
New Name and Fast Growth
In 1969, Turner sold the business rights to Woodson and Holmes. They changed the name to Taco John's. This was to honor John Turner. They also started a company called Woodson-Holmes Enterprises. This company helped open more Taco John's restaurants.
The first Taco John's restaurant had a devil as its mascot. Its slogan was "the hottest spot in town." More locations opened in 1969. This included a restaurant in Loveland, Colorado.
The 1970s saw even more growth. By 1975, the 100th store opened in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. In 1973, the first permanent Taco John's building was built. It was in Cheyenne, Wyoming. This new building even had a drive-thru.
Taco John's grew so much that it updated its main office in 1985. The 1990s were also very successful. In 1994, a restaurant in Iowa made over $1 million in sales.
Working with Other Restaurants
Around 2004, Taco John's started partnering with other restaurants. This is common for big brands. They teamed up with places like Good Times Burgers & Frozen Custard and Steak Escape. In 2015, they even opened a store with an Arby's in Lindenhurst, New York.
Some of these combined restaurants still exist. But many have either become just a Taco John's or closed down. Around this time, the original owners, Woodson and Holmes, passed away. Woodson died in 2008, and Holmes died in 2012.
New Locations and Challenges
Taco John's first focused on smaller towns. But later, it started opening in bigger cities. These included Denver and Kansas City. Taco John's also has restaurants on U.S. military bases.
While some Taco John's have closed, many new ones have opened. In 2016, the first Taco John's opened inside a Love's Travel Stop in Liberal, Kansas. More travel stop locations have opened since then.
In 2016, the company planned to open 40 new stores. These would be in New York and Tennessee. This included 20 stores in the New York City area. By October 2016, Taco John's had 390 restaurants. As of August 2021, there is only one New York location, at JFK airport.
In 2017, Taco John's opened 10 new locations. They expanded into Tennessee and Indiana. In 2019, they planned to open new stores in Kentucky, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. As of August 2021, there are 380 Taco John's locations.
In 2022, Taco John's sued a small restaurant chain called Taco Chon. Taco John's said Taco Chon was copying its look.
Restaurant Styles
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Taco John's restaurants have changed their look over the years. Their newest style can be seen in the Cheyenne restaurant. This location was rebuilt in 2019.
Special Words and Trademarks
Taco John's uses the term "West-Mex" for its food. They say "West-Mex" food has fresh, strong flavors. This includes their special Potato Olés, sauces, and spices.
In 1989, Taco John's trademarked the phrase "Taco Tuesday". This meant they owned the right to use it for advertising in most U.S. states. However, in 2023, Taco John's decided to give up its trademark on the phrase.
Advertising and Mascots
Mascots Over Time
Taco John's first mascot was a devil character. It was on their signs with the words "The Hottest Spot In Town." Later, they used a cartoon Mexican character named Juan with a big sombrero. He also had a donkey named Pépé. In the mid-1990s, a more modern image replaced these characters.
More recently, Taco John's has used Whiplash the Cowboy Monkey in their ads. Whiplash is a famous rodeo performer. He rides his dog, Ben, to help hungry taco fans.
In the 1990s, Taco John's slogan was "A Whole Lotta Mexican." It came with a catchy jingle.
Food Safety Incident in 2006
In December 2006, some people got sick after eating at a Taco John's in Iowa. About 50 people became ill, and 18 had to go to the hospital. Health officials in Minnesota also reported that 27 more people got sick. These cases were linked to Taco John's restaurants in Rio Grande City, Texas and Grand Forks, North Dakota.
On December 14, officials found that lettuce had been affected. It contained E. coli bacteria. A family sued Taco John's after their daughter became sick. Taco John's stopped working with their produce supplier, Bix Produce. After an investigation, it was found that the problem came from the growing fields in California. This incident happened around the same time as a separate E. coli outbreak at Taco Bell restaurants.
The "Taco Tuesday" Lawsuit in 2023
Taco John's used to own the trademark for "Taco Tuesday." On May 16, 2023, Taco Bell asked the United States Patent and Trademark Office to cancel Taco John's trademark. Taco Bell said "Taco Tuesday" is a common saying that anyone should be able to use. Taco Bell was not asking for money from Taco John's.
Taco John's CEO, Jim Creel, responded by thanking Taco Bell. He joked that they were reminding everyone that Taco Tuesday is best at Taco John's.
Later in July, Taco John's decided to give up its trademark on the phrase. Creel explained that spending a lot of money on lawyers to defend the trademark "just doesn't feel like the right thing to do."
Images for kids
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A TJ's with a solarium, Marshalltown, IA
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Abandoned Retro Taco John's, Signage taken down (Pocatello, ID)
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TJ's featuring 70s/80s style slanted roof with shingles and 2000s-style facade/signage (Elizabethton, TN)
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TJ's featuring a slightly updated slant-roof facade, Located in Morristown, TN
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TJ's featuring old school signage on an old school building in Miles City, MT (Since been updated in Facade and Signage)
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A very Oblong TJ's in Miles City, MT
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Taco John's with a tree-garden in front;, Monona, WI
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Abandoned retro Taco John's in Shawano, WI
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See also
- List of Mexican restaurants
