Taco Del Mar dives right in

HONOLULU ADVERTISER

07-11-2007

The "fast casual" Mexican food chain Taco Del Mar is hold ing to a fast pace of expansion in Hawaii, with plans to open five more restaurants by the end of the year for a total of nine in the state. If realized, projected store openings would make Taco Del Mar one of the quicker-growing Mainland restaurant franchises in Hawaii in recent years, and bring the company closer to a goal of opening 40 stores in Hawaii, Guam and Saipan over seven years. "We have aggressive plans," said Ken Nascimento, a local Subway store owner who is master developer for Taco Del Mar in Hawaii, Guam and Saipan.

As master developer. Nascimento recruits franchisees to own and operate individual stores. The first two Hawaii Taco Del Mar restaurants opened late last year in Kunia and Kapolei, fol lowed by two earlier this year in Moanalua and Waipio. The next store is scheduled to open in Kaneohe at Windward City Shopping Center in August, followed by one at Hawaii Kai Towne Center around November. Nascimento also said he's close to signing a lease in Kailua- Kona, on the Big Island and is in advanced lease negotiations for two stores on Maui, one in Kahului and another in Lahaina. "We're less than a year old, and we might have 10 stores by the end of the year," he said. "All of our stores have been well perceived. Having a good concept helps." Nascimento said his aggressive pace of store development in Hawaii has been encouraged by exceptional sales at existing stores, three of which he said consistently rank in the top 10 for weekly sales among roughly 260 Taco Del Mar stores nation wide.

The best-performing Hawaii Taco Del Mar, the Moanalua store, is on pace for first-year sales of $800,000 to $ I million, and sometimes tops the weekly sales list for all Taco Del Mar stores, Nascimento said. Taco Del Mar is among growing field of popular fast casual Mexican restaurant chains that include bigger rivals Baja Fresh Mexican Grill and Chipotle Mexican Grill, which do not operate in Hawaii. Food industry research and consulting firm Technomic Inc. in Chicago defines fast casual restaurants as offering self-service or limited service, $6 to $9 average checks, attractive decor and innovative foods prepared to order and suited to more sophisticated tastes.