Enjoy Mexican cuisine with larger-than-life taste

The Press Enterprise

07-01-2007

Taco Del Mar opens second Inland restaurant with more Inland locations planned
Add Seattle-based franchise company Taco Del Mar to a growing slate of restaurants serving up Mexican food in the Inland region. The company, with more than 250 locations nationwide, plans to open five to 10 new Inland restaurants by year's end, with another 12 slated for 2008, according to its local franchise developer.

Palm Springs resident Constantine Kolytiris last month opened the region's second location of the chain on South Palm Canyon Drive, with offerings including tacos, nachos, burritos and enchiladas. Another location, run by a San Diego franchisee, opened several months ago in Lake Elsinore.

Kolytiris is a commercial broker and franchise developer working with Taco Del Mar to set up sites in Riverside, San Bernardino and Orange counties.

Special to The Press-Enterprise Taco Del Mar recently opened a Palm Springs restaurant. The offerings include tacos, nachos, burritos and enchiladas.

He said the company currently has 24 agreements with Inland franchisees in various stages of completion, and is aiming to open more than 100 local restaurants in the next 10 years. Exact sites are not being announced until franchise contracts are completed.

Kolytiris said he's not daunted by the existing abundance of Inland fast-food and sit-down casual restaurants specializing in Mexican fare, including ubiquitous national players Taco Bell and Del Taco.

"I think we're going to do very well," he said.

The company's Web site says the first Taco Del Mar opened in June 1992 on Pier 57 of Seattle's historic waterfront district. Founding brothers James and John Schmidt were inspired by "the funky shoreline shacks that dotted the Southern California and Baja beaches," serving up food similar to what would become the chain's signature fish tacos and mission-style burritos.

Other regional chains with similar fare are extending their Inland reach.
For instance, Wahoo's Fish Taco recently opened its third Inland location in Temecula, operated by local franchisee Ellen Orbe.

Eddie Santos, a marketing representative for Santa Ana-based Wahoo's, said the company is exploring other Inland sites for future expansion.

"At this point we are looking, but nothing is solid right now," Santos said.
Reach Lou Hirsh at 951-368-9559 or lhirsh@pe.com
(c) 2007 Press-Enterprise Company