Mac’s, the convenience store chain, opens its first in-store TacoTime Mexican fast food outlet this month in Calgary.
If the test is successful, Taco Time Canada, which started in Lethbridge, Alta. 17 years ago, hopes the partnership with Silcorp’s Mac’s chain will help its Canadian expansion plans.
Taco Time, which has 95 franchised locations in b.c., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Thunder Bay, Ont., plans to have 300 stores across Canada in the next five years.
Ken Pattenden, Taco Time president, expects one-third of that number to be non-traditional outlets such as those in the Mac’s stores.
The TacoTime menu includes tacos, soft tacos, burritos, deep-fried crisp meat burritos, and salads such as taco or chicken.
Roughly one-third of the locations have drive-through windows, and some deliver.
A typical standalone unit is 2,000 square feet with seating for between 50 to 70 people.
There are about 44 smaller TacoTime outlets in mall food courts.
Pattenden says the next move after developing Western Canada would be to Atlantic Canada and then into Ontario.
Pattenden is also looking at partnering with other companies because he says it is the non-traditional locations that will give Taco Time the presence it needs in Ontario to develop individual franchised units, and put some advertising muscle behind it.
Taco Time recently named The Agency Group of Calgary its agency of record.
The account was previously with Highwood Communications.
