Taco John's
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| Taco John's | |
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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1969 |
| Headquarters | Cheyenne, Wyoming |
| Industry | Food |
| Slogan | The Fresh Taste of West-Mex(r) |
| Website | 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 by Lori Wollman, and currently has more than 400 Taco John’s restaurants in 24 states. It is a popular destination for Mexican food.
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[edit] 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. Taco John's also offers several different specialty items, most popularly tacos. On Tuesdays, Taco John's offers tacos at a discounted price.
[edit] Breakfast Menu
Some franchisees offer a breakfast menu. Items on this menu include Breakfast Burritos and Tacos: Potato Olés, meat (bacon or sausage), eggs, and nacho cheese sauce enclosed in a flour tortilla. Burritos may be requested to be grilled. Other selections include a Scrambler Burritos and a Breakfast Egg Burritos, Potato Olés Scrambler (regular and small) and Waffle Stix. Breakfast Quesadillas are available but no longer merchandised on the Breakfast Menu.
[edit] Desserts
Taco Johns offers three desserts such as the Apple Grande, a crisp cinnamon sugar tortilla topped with an apple filling, shredded chedder cheese, and hard red cinnamon candies, the Choco Taco, a waffle-cone shell shapped like a taco shell filled with vanilla ice cream and topped with hot fudge and sprinkled almonds. The churro, a generic food item offered by other chains, is a long, thin cylinder of deep-fried dough with a 'star-like' ridged surface, the churro outside is crispy while still retaining a soft texture. It is sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.
[edit] Potato Olés
This item is perhaps that for which Taco John's is best known, and one of its more closely-held trademarked items. Potato Olés are round, bite-sized potato nuggets (much like tater tots) that are deep fried, and then coated with a special blend of spices and seasonings unique to the company. Potato Olés can be ordered as a side dish; in three different sizes.
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), and many of the breakfast items.
In the early/mid 1980s, Potato Olés went through a metamorphosis. Before they were seasoned crispy crowns, they were a football-shaped treat with center fillings of refried beans, cheese or meat.
[edit] Mascot
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.[1] However, the figure was replaced in the mid-90's by a more modern, artistic image.
Currently, Taco John's 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.
[edit] 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.
