Chronic Tacos

Chronic Tacos is an American chain of fast casual restaurants specializing in tacos, Mission or California burritos, tostada bowls, carne asada fries and churros. The first Chronic Tacos restaurant was opened in 2002 in Newport Beach, California by Daniel Biello and Randy Wyner. As of 2020, the company operates over 60 locations across the United States, Canada and Japan.[3]

Chronic Tacos
TypePrivate
Industryfast casual
Founded2002 (2002) in Newport Beach, California, US
FounderDaniel Biello and Randy Wyner
Number of locations
60+ (2020)
Area served
  • United States
  • Canada
  • Japan
Key people
  • Michael Mohammed (CEO)
  • Randy Wyner (Director of Sales)
Products
Websitechronictacos.com
Footnotes / references
[1][2][3]

Since 2011, the company has partnered with Dexter Holland's Gringo Bandito hot sauce company to host the Gringo Bandito Chronic Tacos Challenge, a competitive eating contest in which Takeru Kobayashi set world records in 2015 and again in 2017 for taco eating.[4][5]

History

Daniel Biello and Randy Wyner opened the first Chronic Tacos in Newport Beach, California in 2002.[6] Their initial concept was one inspired by the local taquerias they had grown up eating at, but that allowed more customization.[6] In 2005, they opened their second location in Huntington Beach, California.[7] In 2006, Chronic Tacos started franchising with a third location in San Clemente, California.[7] As the company grew, Biello and Wyner decided to give up their controlling interest citing burnout.[6]

In 2010, Chronic Tacos opened its first location in Canada.[8] In 2011, Wyner started talking with Michael Mohammed, a franchisee financier, about buying back Chronic Tacos. In 2012, Mohammed and Wyner acquired majority control of the company and stopped franchising until 2015.[6] In 2018, Chronic Tacos opened its first location in Japan.[9]

Chronic Tacos' menu consists of eight main items: taco plates, Mission burritos, Bowl-ritos (burritos without the tortilla, served in a bowl), tostada bowls, salad bowls, Chronic Fries (carne asada fries), quesadillas and nachos. Each main item can be customized with several protein options including: steak, Beyond Beef, sautéed or beer-battered mahi-mahi fish, sautéed or beer-battered shrimp, chicken, carnitas, al pastor-style pork, vegetarian and breakfast (bacon or chorizo). Additional customization is offered through various toppings including: lettuce, cilantro, cabbage, cheese, tomato, guacamole, sour cream, salsa roja, salsa verde, onion, lime and pico de gallo. The restaurant chain also offers varying specialty items such as churro bites and tortilla soup.

In 2016, Chronic Tacos began offering a vegetarian protein option consisting of common fajita vegetables and in 2019 the franchise partnered with Beyond Meat to launch and begin offering Beyond Beef Crumbles, a new vegan protein option.[10]

References
  1. Lindelof, Bill (March 23, 2017). "Southern California-based Chronic Tacos to open first Sacramento-area restaurant". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  2. Bucher, Shawn (December 12, 2019). "Chronic Tacos". Business Chef. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  3. Luttner, Kathryn (November 22, 2016). "How street cred is helping Chronic Tacos go national". Campaign. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  4. Fadroski, Kelli (April 9, 2017). "With tacos, beer and live music, Sabroso a sold-out success at Doheny". Orange County Register. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  5. Zolman Kirk, Laura (November 2018). "Inside the Comeback Story of Chronic Tacos". QSR Magazine. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  6. Kneiszel, Judy (October 2013). "Ones To Watch: Chronic Tacos". QSR Magazine. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  7. Zeman, Kat (July 13, 2018). "Chronic Tacos Mexican Grill". Retail & Hospitality Hub. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  8. Miyamoto, Mary (March 7, 2018). "Chronic Tacos Restaurant Review". Metropolis. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  9. Gusinow, Sander (March 2019). "Mexican Fast Food Chain, Chronic Tacos Will Offer Vegan 'Meat' Crumbles!". One Green Planet. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
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