# Taco John's International, Inc.

> Taco John's International is a privately held Mexican-inspired quick-service restaurant franchisor founded in Cheyenne in 1969 and now headquartered in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Across 324 restaurants in 21 states as of May 2026, it competes through a regional West-Mex identity, made-to-order food, in-store-fried shells and chips, and signature products such as Potato Olés and the Taco Bravo, while earning revenue from franchising and a small base of company-operated restaurants.

- **Founded:** 1969
- **Headquarters:** St. Louis Park, Minnesota, United States
- **Founders:** James Woodson (Co-founder and early franchise-rights owner), Harold W. Holmes (Co-founder and early franchise-rights owner)
- **Team size:** Approximately 2,400 employees in supplied company data; public sources do not consistently distinguish corporate, company-store and franchise employment.
- **Products:** Mexican-inspired quick-service menu, Potato Olés, Taco Bravo, TJ Rewards and mobile ordering, Catering
- **Notable:** Grew from a Cheyenne taco stand to more than 300 restaurants across 21 states., Taco Bravo won USA TODAY 10Best's Best Fast Food Taco reader vote in 2025 and again in 2026., Ranked No. 118 by U.S. sales in Technomic's 2025 Top 500 chain report, with an estimated $415 million in 2024 U.S. system sales and 340 units that year.

## Products & services

- **Mexican-inspired quick-service menu** — Made-to-order tacos, burritos, quesadillas, bowls, salads, breakfast and limited-time items, including shells and tortilla chips fried fresh in-store.
- **Potato Olés** — Hot, crisp potato rounds seasoned with a proprietary spice blend and positioned as the chain's signature side.
- **Taco Bravo** — A crispy beef taco wrapped in a bean-spread soft flour tortilla; voted Best Fast Food Taco in USA TODAY's 10Best readers' poll in 2025 and 2026.
- **TJ Rewards and mobile ordering** — An app for ordering ahead, pickup, selected delivery and loyalty; members earn 10 points per eligible dollar spent.
- **Catering** — Build-your-own taco, nacho and burrito bars, plus sides and desserts, offered through a catering partner.
- **Franchise opportunities** — Traditional drive-thru restaurants plus an emerging smaller-footprint model for convenience stores, travel centers and airports.

## Achievements

- Grew from a Cheyenne taco stand to more than 300 restaurants across 21 states.
- Taco Bravo won USA TODAY 10Best's Best Fast Food Taco reader vote in 2025 and again in 2026.
- Ranked No. 118 by U.S. sales in Technomic's 2025 Top 500 chain report, with an estimated $415 million in 2024 U.S. system sales and 340 units that year.
- Included in Entrepreneur's 2026 Franchise 500.
- Deployed cloud-based POS, digital ordering and loyalty platforms across 324 restaurants by May 2026.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Taco Bravo was named Best Fast Food Taco in USA TODAY's 10Best reader survey for a second consecutive year.
- **2026-07** — Launched a limited-time Chipotle Chicken Trio led by the new Crunchy Dorado Taco.
- **2026-05** — Reported full deployment of cloud-based POS, digital ordering and loyalty systems across 324 locations.
- **2026-05** — Returned the fan-requested Mexi Rolls to the menu.
- **2026-03** — Expanded Taco Tuesday into a weekday value program across more than 325 restaurants.
- **2026-02** — Outlined a measured expansion plan emphasizing convenience stores, travel centers, airports and other nontraditional formats.
- **2025-08** — The company confirmed St. Louis Park, Minnesota, as its headquarters after decades based in Cheyenne.

## Links

- Website: https://tacojohns.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/taco-johns
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/tacojohns
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tacojohns/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tacojohns
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@tacojohns

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/taco-john-s-international-inc
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-14