The Neches Restaurant Group, which owns and operates Crown Pizza and Willy Burger, announced announce Taco Rey as the newest member of the restaurant lineup.
The award-winning, family-owned restaurant brings their Tex-Mex favorites to the group like seasoned beef tacos, fajita quesadillas, margaritas, and their unique, signature fideo dish along with 62 years of hometown service in Southeast Texas.
The addition of Taco Rey gives the group of craft burgers (Willy Burger) and Neapolitan craft pizzas (Crown Pizza) another flavor and footprint further south in Jefferson County (Nederland) as well as a boost of industry experience, buying power, community leadership, and customer reach.
Taco Rey gains more resources with a team of marketing and operations, added market reach, and growth opportunities under the umbrella of Neches Restaurant Group.
Third generation owner, Johnny Collazo, Jr., will remain owner of Taco Rey in the new partnership, keeping the family-owned legacy intact. He will also serve as Managing Partner and Chief Operations Officer within the Neches Restaurant Group, putting his expertise to work for all three brands.
“Taco Rey has been in my family for over 60 years,” Collazo says. “I don’t take that lightly. So for me to join this group, it’s like sharing a part of my heart. And there’s no better match for Taco Rey than this group with Willy and Crown. I am blessed to work with good people with a shared vision.”
Owner and CEO of the group, Dallon James, has worked with Collazo in developing plans for the future food hall, Neches Point.
James says, “Simply put: we’re joining forces and we’re excited to be all under one umbrella now. Johnny still owns Taco Rey (and food truck). We’re still family-owned. The family’s just bigger! Now we get to pool our resources and have a full team working together for more efficiency.”
The new-look group is currently working to open Crown Pizza in Katy, Texas in the upcoming weeks just across the street from Katy High School. Also, the team has already begun work on developing a new Tex-Mex street tacos restaurant, Taco Reyna.
“We have some amazing things we’re working on from test kitchens to branding, and we’ve seen good progress so far that’s encouraging,” Collazo says. “We have the best customers, and we want to serve them well, make them proud, and grow with us. So grab on tight and let’s get it!”
