No one could predict Torchy's Tacos, which started out as a small food truck in Austin on the corner of Bouldin Creek at South 1st would turn into the taco empire it is now. Opened in 2006, Michael Rypka attracted customers to his Tex-Mex truck with free homemade salsa and chips. Today the "Damn Good" taco chain runs 71 stores across Texas, Arkansas, Colorado, and Oklahoma, serving incredible tacos and queso. And it looks like there may be a few more Torchy's Tacos locations in the works.
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Torchy's Tacos Locations Set to Double in Size
According to Quick-Service Restaurant Magazine, Tex-Mex restaurant chain Torchy's Tacos plans to grow to at least 160 locations by 2023. Last week Torchy's CEO G.J. Hart shared during his presentation at the ICR Conference in Orlando that the new restaurants will be in 15 different states. Currently, the brand is in the midst of opening three Torchy's locations in Louisiana. Tenessee is the next state in the pipeline.
"Last I checked, tacos have been around a long time—I don't think they're going out of style. As long as we continue to bring innovation to that and bring opportunity to our people, we'll continue to grow," Hart shares, noting that the creative tacos will be added to less-saturated markets. "The whole goal is to start to get people to understand what Torchy's is, how good the food is, and that we're coming at some point in time."
Our Favorite Torchy's Tacos
Good tacos always start with handmade tortillas, and Torchy's is rolling out its own homemade tortillas through 2020. When it comes to filling, Torchy's thinks outside of the box. When visiting Texas in 2016 President Barack Obama chowed down on three tacos (the Republican, the Democrat, and Independent), giving Torchy's two-thumbs up.
The Trailer Park
Fried chicken, green chiles, lettuce, pico de gallo and cheddar jack cheese is drowned in a poblano sauce. Make it trashy with queso.
The Brushfire
Jamaican jerk chicken, grilled jalapenos, mango, sour cream, and cilantro are dressed with a firey diablo sauce.
The Wrangler
Eggs, potatoes, smoked beef brisket, and cheese are all topped off with a delicious tomatillo sauce
