Taco del Mar
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| Wholly owned subsidiary | |
| Industry | Restaurant |
| Founded | Seattle, Washington, United States (June 8, 1992) |
| Headquarters | Lynnwood, Washington, United States |
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Area served
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United States and Canada |
| Products | Fresh Mex |
| Parent | Franchise Brands, LLC |
| Website | [1] |
Taco del Mar is a Seattle, Washington-based Fresh Mex fast casual restaurant chain that specializes in Mission burritos. Since opening in Seattle on June 8, 1992 by brothers James and John Schmidt, it has expanded into over 260 locations in the U.S. and Canada. It is known for its relaxed, seaside-themed decor.
The name "Taco del Mar," meaning "taco of the sea" in Spanish, refers to the chain's original specialty – fish tacos. Like the larger Subway chain, the customer directs the preparation of his or her meal, requesting ingredients as it moves along an assembly line. A standard selection of "Mission Style" (referring to San Francisco's Mission District) Mexican ingredients is available, including wheat, flour, tomato, or spinach tortillas, and fish, beef, pork, or chicken.
In 2007, Taco del Mar announced that more than 30 franchisees closed their restaurants. Taco del Mar executives cited poor sales and bad locations as the cause of the closures. Previously Taco del Mar closed restaurants throughout the Dallas and Boston markets due to poor financial performance.
However, a group of franchisees and Master Developers called The Truth About Taco del Mar charged that several Taco del Mar executives took secret kickbacks from various suppliers that raised restaurant operating costs, hurting franchisee profitability and contributing to the store closures. There is no evidence of alleged kickbacks; furthermore, Taco del Mar founder James Schmidt said if there ever were kickbacks proven, the money would be returned to the Franchisee.
There has not been one credible example of kickbacks ever brought to the attention of an attorney, posted here or any one else, that has come to my attention. If we were getting kickbacks and it was proven then franchisees would get money back, we disclose we do not get kickback so if we took them, then prove it and money will be returned - James Schmidt
The group also claims that Taco del Mar intentionally removed former franchises from its uniform offering circular (UFOC) to mislead potential investors into purchasing restaurants from the franchise. In December 2007, reporter Julie Bennett conducted an investigation and found many franchisees outside of Washington and Oregon were losing money at Taco del Mar.
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Wikipedia