(SEATTLE)—May 30, 2007—Knoxville is about to taste what delicious quick casual Mexican food is all about. Taco Del Mar, the independent West Coast chain met a big fan in Knoxville entrepreneur Joddi Thomley earlier this year, so much that she took on the territory as its Master Developer to bring the restaurants throughout eastern Tennessee. This Saturday she opens her first location at 2010 Cumberland Ave, bringing Taco Del Mar’s wholesome lineup to the masses.
“We’re delighted to bring a completely new dining concept to Knoxville; Taco Del Mar is a restaurant that people here are going to love at first bite,” Thomley said. “I was impressed with the quality, taste and freshness of the food, and from the franchising side how streamlined the restaurant is to run.”
Thomley is best known locally for her work with Subway over the past 15 years, where she started as an employee inside the restaurants and ascended to become the vice president of development for eastern Tennessee. In Taco Del Mar she saw an opportunity to bring a new category of dining option to the area, where she noticed few quality fast casual Mexican restaurants to fulfill customer demand.
The first Taco Del Mar location, in immediate proximity to the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, will be owned and operated by Thomley and will also serve as eastern Tennessee’s flagship training store. She is actively screening franchise candidates for the more than 50 planned restaurant locations all across her territory.
Taco Del Mar features signature Mondo burritos showcasing slow-cooked and marinated meats such as braised chicken, carne asada steak and seasoned pork; platters; tacos; salads; kids’ meals and vegetarian/vegan offerings. All of its food incorporates high quality ingredients in a made-to-order presentation. The store decor sets the “beach” mood with beach-themed murals, thatched palapas, mounted sailfish, long board tabletops and lively background music.
The quick casual restaurant chain, now with more than 254 locations throughout North America, was co-founded in Seattle in 1992 by brothers James and John Schmidt. Inspired by southern Baja, Mexico and coastal beach shacks that serve burritos and tacos, Taco Del Mar remains independent, unlike many “Mexi-fresh” restaurant concepts that are publicly traded or big burger owned. The company was ranked 17th in the January 2007 issue of Fast Casual magazine’s 2006 Top 100 Movers and Shakers, and Crittenden’s Restaurant Insider named Taco Del Mar as one of its 2006 “Hot Half Dozen” concepts.
Reach Joddi Thomley and learn more about her Eastern Tennessee franchising opportunities at (865) 218-6565 or Jthomley@tacodelmar.com.
