Wichita will get 4 to 6 more locations of this popular taco chain over the next few years
Wichita can expect a whole lot more Taco John’s over the next several years, including several new stand-alone restaurants.
Brooks Speirs, the vice president of development for the Minneapolis-based fast food taco restaurant, says that Wichita will get another Kwik Shop Taco John’s location in the second quarter of 2021, which is between April and June.
Then, over the next few years, the chain plans to add another four to six free-standing restaurants in the area using the chain’s new building design, which Speirs describes as “more millennial and Gen-X friendly.”
“When we look at where we want to develop, the entire state of Kansas is a great market for us,” Speirs said in a recent telephone interview. “There’s a lot of opportunity there because it’s a market that is close and a market where we have a lot of brand awareness but we don’t have a lot of stores yet.”
Wichita does have some history — both recent and past — with Taco John’s, home of the famous potato ole. In 2001, a Taco John’s restaurant that at the time was billed as the largest in the country opened at 8320 W. Central, where CiCi’s Pizza is now. But it closed in 2002.
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Taco John’s returned to the area in February 2018 with a new restaurant in Derby, but that one closed in February of this year. Another one opened in El Dorado in March 2019 but was closed by September.
Then, in February of this year, Taco John’s added a location inside the new Kwik Shop at Kellogg and West with a full menu, seating inside and a drive-through window. At the time, officials with the restaurant announced that a second Kwik Shop-adjacent Taco John’s would be open at 7107 W. 37th St. North by the end of this year.
Most of the Kwik Shop projects underway were delayed at the start of the pandemic, Speirs said, but now the Wichita one is back on track and should have the same setup as the store on West Street.
Business has been good at Taco John’s during the pandemic, Speirs said. Though it saw a drop at the start of COVID-19 shutdowns, traffic has since rebounded, and Taco John’s is on track to have a record year.
The key has been the drive-though, which customers have been flocking to as the pandemic has dragged on. The chain was already noticing that younger customers who crave convenience preferred drive-throughs and third-party delivery apps, and now, those services are in even more demand, he said.
“That’s what the consumer wants today, and I do believe that’s what the consumer will want for the foreseeable future,” Speirs said.
He’s looking for franchisees who already manage other restaurant brands and want to expand and add Taco John’s to their portfolios. He’s also looking for people who are ready to get into the restaurant business.
I’ll keep you posted as new Taco John’s spots are announced.
This story was originally published November 16, 2020 at 1:54 PM.
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