Taco John's
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Taco John's | |
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| Slogan | The Fresh Taste of West-Mex(r) |
|---|---|
| Type | Private |
| Founded | 1969 |
| Headquarters | Cheyenne, Wyoming |
| Industry | Food |
| Website | www.tacojohns.com |
Taco John's® is a Cheyenne, Wyoming based fast-food restaurant featuring Mexican fast-food (which the chain calls 'West-Mex®'). The chain was founded in 1969 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and currently has more than 400 Taco John’s restaurants in 24 states. It is a popular destination for Mexican food.
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[edit] Lunch/Dinner Foods
Taco John's has adopted "West-Mex" as a definition of their food and service attitude, and now holds a trademark on the term. West-Mex food is defined as being about fresh, bold flavors due to the inclusion of their crisp "Potato Olés" (see below), sauces, spices and salsas. Taco John's offers several different specialty items, most popularly Tacos. On Tuesdays, Taco John's offers tacos at a discounted price.
[edit] Breakfast Menu
Some franchisees offer a breakfast menu. Items on this menu include Breakfast Burritos and Tacos: Potato Olés, meat (bacon or sausage), eggs, and nacho cheese sauce enclosed in a flour tortilla. Burritos may be requested to be grilled. Other selections include a Scrambler Burritos and a Breakfast Egg Burritos, Potato Olés Scrambler (regular and small) and Waffle Stix. Breakfast Quesadillas are available but no longer merchandised on the Breakfast Menu.
[edit] Desserts
Taco Johns offers three desserts such as the Apple Grande, a crisp cinnamon sugar tortilla topped with an apple filling, shredded chedder cheese, and hard red cinnamon candies. The Choco Taco, a waffle-cone shell shapped like a taco shell filled with vanilla ice cream and topped with hot fudge and sprinkled almonds. The churro, a long, thin cylinder of deep-fried dough with a 'star-like' ridged surface, the churro outside is crispy and on the inside is a spongey texture, It is sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.
[edit] Potato Olés
This item is perhaps that for which Taco John's is best known, and one of its more closely-held trademarked items. Potato Olés® are round, bite-sized potato nuggets (much like tater tots) that are deep fried, and then coated with a special blend of spices and seasonings. Potato Olés can be ordered as a side dish; in three different sizes. Potato Olés are also included in several different burritos(beef, chicken, steak and Crunchy Chicken versions of its Meat and Potato Burrito), and many of the breakfast items.
In the early/mid 1980s, Potato Olés went through a metamorphosis. Before they were seasoned crispy crowns, they were a football-shaped treat with center fillings of refried beans, cheese or meat.
[edit] Mascot
Taco John's early mascot, depicted on their street signage above the words "The Hottest Spot In Town," was a devil character. Later mascots were versions of a cartoonish, perhaps stereotypical, Mexican character named Juan with a giant sombrero and a donkey named Pépé.[1] However, the figure was replaced in the mid-90's by a more modern, artistic image.
Currently, Taco John's advertising icon is Whiplash The Cowboy Monkey, a popular rodeo attraction and PRCA Entertainer of the Year, who rides on his dog Ben to the rescue of hungry taco lovers.
