Taco Time International, Inc., the 40-year-old fresh-Mex food restaurant chain, and A&W Restaurants, Inc., this country’s oldest franchise restaurant chain, announced an agreement on July 6 to test four co-brand locations at Taco Time restaurants here, Ogden, UT, Pullman and Spokane, Washington.

Howard Ollis, Taco Time president, and Kevin Bazner, A&W Restaurants president, headquartered in Farmington Hills, MI, a Detroit suburb, announced the agreement.

Co-branding, a popular trend in quick service restaurants, will match the popular Northwest-based Taco Time and their menu of quality fresh-Mex food items with A&W Restaurants under one roof.

The first co-branded Taco Time/A&W Restaurant unit will be located in downtown Eugene and will open in mid-July.

According to Ollis, the co-branding trend is being driven by consumer desire for quick, quality food and more variety at a single location.

“Co-branding is proving to be an excellent strategy to meet consumer demand and to ensure quality food and competitive prices for our customers,” Ollis said.

The Taco Time core menu consists of Crisp Meat and Bean Burritos, Crisp Tacos, Soft Tacos, and Veggie Burritos, plus soft drinks and other entrees.

Headquartered in Eugene, Taco Time was founded here in 1960 by Ron and Marylynn Fraederick. Since that time, Taco Time has expanded to 312, franchise and corporately owned traditional and non-traditional (e.g. gas and convenience store and shopping malls) and co branding units in five United States plus two additional foreign countries. Howard Ollis has served as president since 1988.

A&W Restaurants was founded in 1919 and features an All American menu of hamburgers, hot dogs, french fries, chicken sandwiches, its signature brand A&W Draft Root Beer and A&W Root Beer Floats.