District Taco is a Mexican restaurant chain with 15 locations in the Mid-Atlantic region, mostly in the Washington, D.C., area.[1] It serves Yucatan-style cuisine, including burritos, quesadillas, tacos, and other items. It was founded in 2009 as a food truck in Rosslyn, Virginia and opened its first traditional location in Arlington the next year. In 2018, it was announced[2] that the chain plans to open a location in Downtown Silver Spring. In 2016, founder Osiris Hoil was a winner of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.[3]

District Taco
Company typePrivate
IndustryRestaurants
Founded2009; 15 years ago (2009) in Arlington, Virginia, United States
FoundersOsiris Hoil
Number of locations
15
Area served
Washington, D.C., Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania
ProductsMexican cuisine
OwnersOsiris Hoil
Marc Wallace
Websitewww.districttaco.com

History edit

 
The original District Taco truck in 2010.
 
A District Taco restaurant in Rosslyn, Arlington, Virginia

District Taco was founded by Osiris Hoil and Marc Wallace, in 2009 as a food truck in Rosslyn.[4] At the time, Hoil had just been laid off from his construction job during the Great Recession and his neighbor, Marc Wallace encouraged him to go into the food business, selling the recipes he prepared at home.[5] Wallace would help co-found the business.[6] In November 2010, they opened their first brick and mortar restaurant on Lee Highway in Arlington.[7] In the Spring of 2012, the chain opened its first location in the District of Columbia, finally living up to its name.[8] By the summer of 2017, the chain had grown to include ten locations in Virginia and Washington, D.C. In November of that year, the chain opened its first location outside the Washington metro area and eleventh overall, in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.[9][10] The next month, they opened their first location in Maryland, in Riverdale Park.[11][12] The company now operates 15 corporate locations in and around Washington DC and Philadelphia and, in 2021, launched its franchising subsidiary and signed its first franchise agreement to begin expansion in 2022.

Food edit

 
A quesadilla from a District Taco store in Bailey's Crossroads, Virginia.

District Taco describes its cuisine as Yucatan-style, similar to what Hoil's mother used to prepare. These include burritos, quesadillas, tacos, and other offerings. The stores use only fresh ingredients, something Hoil said his mother always stressed when he was a child.[13] The store is also open for breakfast, serving traditional items such as huevos rancheros in addition to Mexican-American options such as breakfast burritos.[14]

[15]

References edit

  1. ^ "District Taco - Locations". Archived from the original on 2017-12-12. Retrieved 2017-10-11.
  2. ^ "District Taco Comes To Silver Spring". Archived from the original on 2018-04-06. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
  3. ^ "EY Announces Winners for the EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2016 Mid-Atlantic Award". Ernst & Young. June 16, 2016. Archived from the original on February 12, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  4. ^ [1] Archived 2017-12-05 at the Wayback Machine Washington Post
  5. ^ Immigrant Turned Entrepreneur: 'Taco Stand Was My School' Archived 2022-03-22 at the Wayback Machine NPR.com
  6. ^ From Construction Job to 7 Restaurants: An Immigrant's Path to Success Archived 2017-10-12 at the Wayback Machine CNBC.com
  7. ^ District Taco Restaurant Opens Today Archived 2017-10-12 at the Wayback Machine ARLNow
  8. ^ District Taco will finally live up to its name this spring Archived 2017-10-19 at the Wayback Machine Washington Post
  9. ^ [2] Archived 2023-10-01 at the Wayback Machine Philadelphia Business Journal
  10. ^ District Taco Coming to King of Prussia Town Center Archived 2017-08-14 at the Wayback Machine Montco Today
  11. ^ Whole Foods debuts in Riverdale Park, another symbol of Prince George’s progress Archived 2017-10-19 at the Wayback Machine Washington Post
  12. ^ Riverdale Park is getting Maryland’s first District Taco Archived 2017-12-13 at the Wayback Machine The Diamondback
  13. ^ Not Your Abuelita’s Taco Truck: District Taco Opens a Restaurant and Goes All Chipotle Archived 2018-01-18 at the Wayback Machine Washington City Paper
  14. ^ "Menu - District Taco". Archived from the original on 2017-10-12. Retrieved 2017-10-11.
  15. ^ Let’s All Get Some District Taco for Lunch Today Because 1. It is absolutely Delicious and 2. This f-ing guy Archived 2017-09-19 at the Wayback Machine PopVille