Taco John’s unveils new store design

Taco John’s has revived its Drive Thru Olé concept as its newest store design, according to a press release.

The store design is currently less than half the size of its traditional footprint, requiring only 0.35 to 0.5 acres of land. It’s quicker to build and costs significantly less than its traditional free-standing units of up to 2,200 square feet with 38 seats.

The redesign sits at 900 to 1,100 square feet. The exterior structure arrives to the site ready-built, interior finished (FRP, floor tile, ceiling grid and tile), along with HVAC, electrical, plumbing, three comp sink and hood, and the kitchen equipment is installed on the spot.

These modular buildings would then be shipped to towns across the upper Midwest for franchisees.

“With rising construction costs, Taco John’s has an option that makes it economically feasible to build stores in smaller markets, our focus initially is in towns with a population less than 10,000, and some high-density areas where real estate is limited,” Brooks Speirs, vice president of franchise development, said in the release.

Taco John’s tapped Extreme Cube to build the exteriors in Las Vegas in its warehouse and then ships them to market. Once the building has been established, the kitchen is placed and the POS system, drive-thru headset systems and signs are installed.

The main focus for the brand is still on building traditional free-standing units, with the Drive Thru Olé being another format that is attractive in certain markets. Drive thru has proven to be the way of the future, as Taco John’s alone went from 62% drive thru before COVID-19 to 82% drive thru, third party or to-go pickup ordering in 2022.

Taco John’s operates 380 units across 23 states.