As we embark on the New Year, Capital Tacos, the emerging corner taco shop turned nationally awarded Tex-Mex restaurant franchise, is gearing up for a period of unprecedented growth. 2022 was a year that exceeded the brand’s expressed expectations and left it ready to establish franchised and corporate brick-and-mortar flagships in states throughout the country in 2023.
The momentum of the Capital Tacos brand has become undeniable in these last 12 months. Its first brick & mortar outside Tampa, based in Winter Park, FL, opened to much fanfare. Its first franchise, part of a multi-unit development deal for three restaurants in the Tampa Bay area, opened successfully in Trinity, FL, with additional multi-unit franchise deals sold as close as Orlando and as far out as Colorado. Capital Tacos also continued valuable experiments with alternate unit formats, confirming demand in both existing and new markets with embedded convenience locations as well as with the first ever Capital Tacos Express food trailer.
In 2023, as the Tex-Mex space continues to carve out a significant market share in the category, the Capital Tacos team anticipates their brick & mortar store count rising to more than 20 by year-end, with multiple units expected in Charlotte, Atlanta, Orlando, and South Florida. The intent being to introduce itself and raise awareness for the brand in key markets, while attracting interest from local prospective franchisees. The brand also intends to expand its food trailer footprint considerably, across all active markets.
“2022 proved to be more eventful than any of us anticipated, in the best ways possible,” says Josh Luger, Co-Founder of Capital Tacos. “We are excited to introduce our brand to so many new people in 2023, across the Southeast and as far West as Colorado. After generating so much excitement in our home market these past several years, we are pleased to have secured such a strong backlog of corporate leases in so many high priority new markets.”
The low cost of entry, high margins, rapid cash on cash payback periods, the opportunity to customize each location to fit the personality of both the franchisee and the local community, and the highly developed systems to speed and simplify operations combine to bring something truly unique to the franchise marketplace. Not to mention the uniquely delicious and inventive food.
“The depth of support given to us by the Capital Tacos team to help prepare us for opening the doors to our franchise was astounding,” adds Bill Hoopes, Capital Tacos franchisee. “It helped equip us and our team with the tools and insights we needed to come out of the gate swinging. That, along with the unique quality of the product and the strength of the brand, has led to business performance that has far surpassed even our most optimistic expectations so far.”
