The founders of Rusty Taco, a fast-casual dining concept that originated in Texas, want to expand into Orlando as part of the franchise’s national growth strategy.
“The Sunshine State needs more tacos. What can I say?” said co-founder Denise Fenton. “Orlando, in particular, we like the diversity there. You get the tourists, but you also have a lot of young professionals who are looking for convenient but also quality dining options. We are that type of brand, but we’re also very approachable, and we like to be part of the community.”
Fenton and her husband Rusty opened the first Rusty Taco restaurant 15 years ago, and have since expanded to 35 locations in 11 states throughout the country.
The company debuted a new menu with “bold new flavors and creative offerings” earlier this year at several of its locations. The revamped menu offers an elevated take on fan-favorite taco offerings with seafood, beef, pork, chicken, and vegetarian options, along with all-day breakfast burritos, flavorful margaritas, and dishes such as street corn fritters, nachos, and shrimp ceviche.
“We started this company in 2010 and opened our first location in Dallas, Texas, in a converted gas station that Rusty thought would make a cool restaurant, and it did. Our menu is taco-focused, and we make everything fresh from scratch,” she said. “We started to expand through franchising in 2011 and have been growing ever since then.”
While the company hasn’t selected any specific Orlando area location yet, Fenton said that Central Florida could accommodate multiple Rusty Taco restaurants as part of the franchise’s statewide expansion in Florida.
“We think Florida is just a great market for us. We think we can build a strong presence there,” she said.
Rusty Taco has “non-traditional” locations, most notably in US Bank Stadium, home to the Minnesota Vikings. Other non-traditional franchises are located in travel centers and colleges such as the University of Texas flagship campus in Austin. However, most Rusty Taco restaurants are in traditional locations with indoor seating and an outdoor patio.
“Typically, it would be anywhere from 2 to 3,000 square feet, but somewhere in the middle, around 2,200 to 2,500 square feet, is ideal for a traditional location, especially with pricing these days for construction and real estate costs,” Fenton explained. “We can also fit into a smaller model for non-traditional with a reduced menu. That non-traditional segment is something that we can be adaptable to.”
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