Following consumer demand for spicier items, the dangerously hot Chronic Tacos Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce has been added to the Chronic Tacos’ core menu and can be found at all corporate and franchised locations.
Since 2000, the American hot sauce market has grown by 150 percent. That’s more than that of the barbecue sauce, ketchup, mayonnaise, and mustard markets combined. As hot sauce heats up, U.S. businesses and restaurants like Chronic Tacos are responding to the increased demand.
After the Chronic Tacos team partnered up with their friend and associate, Dexter Holland, lead singer of Offspring and owner of Gringo Bandito’s Hot Sauce, to create the infamous Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce, Chronic Taco’s customers responded positively.
“Our customers can’t get enough,” says Mike Mohammad, CEO of Chronic Tacos. “They love it because it is not just hot for the sake of being hot, it actually has great flavor too. Every menu item goes great with our hot sauce, but customers should remember that a little goes a long way.”
That’s a fair warning from the CEO. On the Scoville heat index where a standard jalapeno has a score of 3,500, the Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce heat level is over 1 million.
With Holland, the Chronic Tacos team tested several recipes before they settled on the current combination. By taking their already popular house salsa and adding a few new ingredients, the sauce developed distinct flavor while also packing a ton of heat.
After several months of testing and the loss of several taste buds, the Ghost Pepper Hot Sauce was complete. One year later, the hot sauce is making its debut as a permanent menu item.
The sauce is joining an already eclectic menu featuring options like the uncommon Potato Taco, unconventional California Burrito and popular Wet Burrito. With a foundation of third-generation authentic Mexican recipes, Chronic Tacos encourages customers to customize their orders. Using all fresh, locally sourced ingredients made in-house daily from scratch, the restaurant offers burritos, tostada bowls, tortas, taquitos, flautas, salads, and tacos.
