Jimboy’s Tacos, home of the Original American Taco, is celebrating the opening of its Southern California flagship location in Huntington Beach on July 21. The restaurant, located at 5th & PCH Shopping Plaza (120 5th Street) in the heart of the city’s downtown, will begin grand opening festivities at 11 AM including:

• Free Original Ground Beef Taco and free Taquito Burrito for the first 50 people
• Free Original Ground Beef Taco for anyone who downloads the Jimboy’s Taco Nation Rewards app in-store
• Chance to spin the prize wheel and win free food and Jimboy’s swag items

Additionally, Jimboy’s Tacos Huntington Beach has partnered with local pro-surfer and instructor Rocky McKinnon to hold a fundraiser during the Grand Opening celebrations. 20 percent of sales from Monday, July 23 will be donated back to McKinnon’s nonprofit, which helps to sponsor surfing programs for young people with special needs or disabilities through the McKinnon Surf & SUP Lessons Adaptive Surfing Program.

Jimboy’s Tacos opened nearly 65 years ago as a simple food trailer on the shores of Lake Tahoe, CA. With sights set on serving the best tasting taco on the planet, founder Jim “Jimboy” Knudson created the Original Ground Beef Taco, which has not changed since it was first served in 1954 and remains the brand’s most popular menu item. The iconic taco, which Food Network star Guy Fieri has called a ‘guilty pleasure’ taco, is made fresh at each Jimboy’s Tacos location with seasoned ground beef, freshly shredded cheese, and lettuce encased in a crispy, stone-ground corn shell dusted with parmesan cheese.

“We’re thrilled to be at the forefront of Jimboy’s Tacos’ Southern California expansion. The Huntington Beach community has been so warm and welcoming to us and we are committed to being a good neighbor. It’s a perfect fit, Jimboy’s Tacos and the beach,” says Southern California franchisees David Angulo and Lynette Romero.

Jimboy’s has also earned viral popularity and social media fame for its Taquito Burrito, a signature grilled burrito stuffed with three taquitos, which has received over 25 million views on social media to date and garnered worldwide attention.  The Taquito Burrito mash-up has led to the creation of a revolutionary “Craft Your Own Mash-Up” section of the Jimboy’s menu.   

“Our customers like to pick their own ingredients, mix and match, be creative and create their own iconic dishes,” adds Robert Andersen, CEO of Jimboy’s Tacos.  “We strive to create an experience that provides our guests choices and the freedom to be original. We like to keep it simple and everyone leaves happy,” continued Andersen.

The Huntington Beach restaurant is located on the historic Pacific Coast Highway just steps away from the beach pier.  The restaurant features a vintage design that is anything but ordinary, while celebrating the spirit to be original. The vibrant vintage design elements, colorful mural wall, natural wood elements and metal design textures all combine to promise a unique experience and pay homage to the food trailer where Jimboy’s Tacos first began in Lake Tahoe in 1954. In addition, the location offers stunning views of the Pacific Ocean and the sound of crashing waves in “Surf City, USA,” which can be seen from the open garage door style windows in the restaurant.

“It is very exciting to introduce Huntington Beach and Orange County our fresh take on the vintage Jimboy’s brand,” adds Andersen. “We are very fortunate to have outstanding franchise operators like David Angulo and Lynette Romero, who share our passion for making the world a happier place by serving our unique taco experience.  We continue to see significant growth of our brand from Southern California and the West Coast as we introduce the Jimboy’s brand across the US.”

“We are looking forward to sharing Jimboy’s Tacos with our locals and all of the tourists who we hope will keep coming back for more. And very soon there will be more places to get your Jimboy’s fix. Next up, our Brea restaurant will be opening, then Irvine and more to come,” says Angulo and Romero.

Angulo and Romero are also the franchise operators for Jimboy’s Tacos’ other Orange County location in Anaheim, and are slated to open two more locations in Brea and Irvine this summer. In addition, Jimboy’s plans to open 20 more locations in 2019, and is on target to have 100 locations by 2020. The brand currently operates 40 locations in Northern California and Reno, Nevada.