Taco fans line up for the opening of Torchy’s Tacos at Foothills Mall.
April 1 is the official opening day for Torchy’s Tacos in Shreveport—“no kidding,” said Zach Jackson, managing partner.
Torchy’s Tacos is located at 1384 E. 70th St., Suite 900 in Shreveport. The regular business hours will be 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday. Breakfast will be available on weekends only.
Before the April Fool’s Day grand opening, the public will have an opportunity to sample the menu.
On March 30, Torchy’s Tacos will host “Community Night.” The restaurant will be open to the public from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. for free tacos, queso, and drinks—nonalcoholic beverages or a margarita.
“We just want to come out, say hello, and show you who Torchy’s is—who we are as a company,” Jackson said.
The event is family-friendly and will include music provided by a deejay, swag giveaways from vendors, face painting, and more.
Other locations to host similar events have attracted thousands of customers, he said.
Louisiana’s first
The Shreveport site will be the first to open in Louisiana and soon locations will open in Baton Rouge and Lake Charles.
“We’re going to have three opening within a month,” said Jackson, a Shreveport resident.
In 2006, Torchy’s Tacos’s founder, Mike Rypka, debuted the business as a food trailer in Austin, Texas.
A private equity firm’s support made it possible for the corporation to expand nationwide, beginning with breaking into more regional markets outside of Texas, Jackson said.
“We have a new leader, a new direction, some financial backing behind us, and our task is to [open] 100 stores over the next five years,” Jackson said. “We’re branching out from our roots, which is (in) Texas, and we’re going to a lot of different markets that we’ve never been into before.”
Torchy’s Tacos has more than 60 locations with new sites popping up in Louisiana, Alabama, Oklahoma, Colorado, Missouri, and Arkansas. The plan is to break into areas near Texas where diners are familiar with the restaurant’s name, even if they’ve never had the food.
“We definitely want people to recognize our brand and to slowly grow into those markets that have brand recognition of us,” Jackson said.
Taco temptations
Torchy’s Tacos—whose tagline is “damn good tacos”—has developed “a cult-like following” and the reputation for possessing an “addictive taste profile,” he said.
“There’s something about it that Mike Rypka put together where it’s an eclectic blend of ingredients in these tacos that aren’t like your norm,” Jackson said.
In the early days, customers were overheard saying, “Damn, these tacos are good!” The declaration was then applied to the business’s branding, “damn good tacos.” It also complements the restaurant’s logo of a cartoon devil with a pitchfork.
“We certainly believe in serving damn good food with damn good hospitality,” Jackson said. “You’re going to have a good time when you’re inside Torchy’s.”
The menu features dishes leaning toward the traditional favorites, such as carnitas, barbacoa, and chicken fajitas as well as those that break the boundaries of standard street tacos.
“We also have some really cool inventions like the Tipsy Chick, which has roasted corn and spinach, chicken, and a bacon marmalade which is something that stereotypically, as a consumer, you wouldn’t think they would taste together,” Jackson said. “But you bite into something like that and you’re blown away by whoever made this mix of ingredients and the taste profile that they have because it’s really good.”
Jackson’s personal favorite taco is the Brushfire—Jamaican jerk chicken topped with grilled jalapenos, mango, sour cream, cilantro, and a signature diablo sauce served on a flour tortilla.
“The Brushfire jalapenos that we put into them, we roast them every day and make this really hot, spicy sauce that you can put with any of your tacos. It just kicks it up a level,” he said.
The menu includes vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options. Non-taco entrees include burritos, salad, street corn, and tortilla chips with several dipping sauces.
Torchy’s Tacos has a full bar featuring specialty cocktails and popular margaritas of varying flavors.
The company touts its use of fresh ingredients that are responsibly sourced and dishes made from scratch.
“Everything about us is fresh. We are a prep-heavy kitchen and bar,” Jackson said. “Every day our bartenders come in and they squeeze fresh limes, a case every day, so we can keep our margarita mix as fresh as possible.”
Torchy’s Tacos doesn’t use microwaves or freezers in its restaurants, he said.
“We get trucks four to five days a week and all product is fresh,” Jackson said. “Most of the items on our shelves have a 24 to 48-hour shelf life and that’s cut vegetables included.”
Welcome to the neighborhood
Torchy’s Tacos’s dining room reflects the fast-casual format with table and booth seating. The dining room has an industrial-chic design. Each restaurant follows a design guideline, but no two locations are the same, he said.
The mission is to create a cool, high-energy vibe with vibrant, upbeat music playing overhead.
“The one for us is very unique in that no other store has anything similar to it,” he said. “You’ll see when you walk in–it kind of has that Shreveport-Bossier gaming background type of nuisance to it.”
Torchy’s Tacos is in the same retail row as Whole Foods market and Hollywood Feed pet store. Across the parking lot are restaurants First Watch, Grub Burger Bar, and Zuzul Coastal Cuisine. The area is loaded with dining, retail, and entertainment businesses along 70th Street and is an extension of the Youree Drive shopping sector.
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“We like to be where people want to be,” Jackson said. “We definitely would like to partner organically with our marketing with different schools and churches and businesses and let them get to know us.”
Torchy’s Tacos is amid its hiring process for the Shreveport site. To apply, stop into the store or visit torchystacos.com/careers.
Menu highlights
- Tipsy Chick Taco. Marinated and grilled chicken breast, spinach, grilled corn, green chiles, and cheddar cheese with chipotle sauce on a flour tortilla with a side of bacon bourbon marmalade.
- Mr. Orange Taco. Blackened salmon, grilled corn, black bean relish, cotija cheese, cilantro, with a lime wedge and avocado sauce served on a corn tortilla.
- Fried Avocado Taco. Fried avocados, refried pinto beans, pico de gallo, lettuce, and cheddar cheese with poblano sauce on a corn tortilla.
- The Wrangler Breakfast Taco. Cage-free eggs, potatoes, smoked beef brisket, and cheese with tomatillo sauce on a flour tortilla.
- Street corn. Grilled corn topped with ancho aioli, cotija cheese, cilantro, dusted with red chile powder and served with a lime wedge.
- Lil’ Nookies. Fried chocolate chip cookie dough dusted with powdered sugar and topped with cherries.
If you go
What: Torchy’s Tacos
Where: 1384 E. 70th St., Suite 900, Shreveport
Community Night: 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. March 30
Grand Opening: April 1
Info: Breakfast will be available on weekends only. For more information, visit torchystacos.com or follow facebook.com/TorchysShreveport/.
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