King Taco
 | This article contains content that is written like an advertisement. (July 2022) |
| File:King Taco logo.png | |
| Type | Fast food restaurant |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1974 |
| Founder | Raul Martínez |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles |
King Taco is a fast food restaurant chain based in Los Angeles, California, serving soft tacos, burritos, sopes, tamales, nachos, and Mexican drinks such as horchata, jamaica, and tamarindo. Some locations also serve rotisserie chicken. King Taco has its headquarters in Los Angeles.[1]
History
King Taco was founded in 1974 by Raul Martínez, Sr., who operated a mobile lunch wagon out of a converted ice cream truck.[2] Within six months, he opened the first of the chain's restaurants in Cypress Park.[3] He opened the second King Taco on 3rd Street in East Los Angeles, which at 4,000 square feet (370 m2) is the flagship restaurant. Other locations soon followed, opening every other year in Commerce, Baldwin Park, El Monte and other East Los Angeles sites.[4] By 1995, he had established fourteen restaurants grossing over $21 million.[5]
As of August 6, 2015 a grand opening was held at the new location in the heart of the city of Glendale, California, bringing a total of 23 restaurants are now located throughout Los Angeles County and San Bernardino County. They also have recently opened up new restaurants in Old Town Pasadena and Long Beach, some of the few not located in a predominantly Mexican American neighborhood. The company has also contributed to urban revitalization through the retrofitting of vacant commercial buildings for its restaurants. Additionally King Taco has expanded into the Inland Empire, with restaurants in Ontario, California and Fontana, California.
Company founder Raul Martinez, Sr. died at age 71, while visiting family in Mexico City, on December 3, 2013.[6][7]
Sponsorships
In 2003 King Taco was the sponsor of the Champ Car season finale at the California Speedway. Called the King Taco 500, the race was eventually canceled as a result of the forest fires that devastated the Southern California area at the time.[8]
For the 2019 Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach, King Taco was the primary sponsor on the Harding Steinbrenner #88 Honda/Dallara IR-18 IndyCar driven by rookie Colton Herta.[9]
Legal matters
King Taco Restaurant, Inc. filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against King Taco Express, Inc., Emmanuel Luna and Sol Celene Rojas in the United States District Court for the District of Nevada in March 2008. King Taco Restaurant, Inc. won the lawsuit.[10]
See also
References
- ^ "Careers." King Taco. Retrieved on January 21, 2010.
- ^ Jesus Sanchez, "King Taco Got Start in Old Ice Cream Van", Los Angeles Times, November 16, 1987.
- ^ name, Your. "Restaurant Locations - King Taco". www.kingtaco.com.
- ^ "Authentic Latin eats: King Taco Restaurants Inc". Los Angeles Business Journal. 1999-09-06.
- ^ Díaz, David R. (2005). Chicanos, Planning, and American Cities. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-94541-7.
- ^ Jenn Harris, "Raul Martinez Sr., founder of King Taco, dies at 71", Los Angeles Times, December 4, 2013.
- ^ "Founder Of King Taco Dies At 71", KCBS-TV, December 4, 2013.
- ^ "CHAMPCAR/CART: Champ Car season ends early due to California fires | …". old.motorsport.com. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
- ^ "King Taco Restaurants". Archived from the original on 2011-07-13. Retrieved 2011-04-21.
- ^ "King Taco Restaurant, Inc. v. King Taco Express, Inc. et al. Federal Court Docket". 2009-02-26.
External links
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- Restaurants in Los Angeles
- Mexican restaurants
- Companies based in Los Angeles
- American companies established in 1974
- Restaurants established in 1974