The first Rusty Taco was an old Dallas gas station, and you can still see where the car lifts were in the floor. 🌮⛽ In this episode of CHOMP, host Sebastian Kohn visits the original Rusty Taco in Dallas, Texas, with Denise Fenton, wife of founder Rusty Fenton, and Daniel, President of Rusty Taco, to hear how one taco shop became a franchise brand across multiple states. Daniel shares how he keeps every location consistent through food, service, and ambiance, what he looks for in a franchise partner, why he tracks the business daily, and why positive guest traffic matters more than sales growth driven by price increases. Plus, get a look at some of Rusty Taco's menu offerings, including rolled tacos, street corn, and the Corny Pig. Whether you're a restaurant owner, operator, or aspiring franchisee, this episode offers insights into restaurant growth, franchise partnerships, and the importance of understanding your customers. ⏱️ CHAPTERS 0:00 Welcome to Rusty Taco in Dallas 0:47 The origin: a taco shop in an old gas station 1:36 Rusty's dream 2:15 The Rusty Taco brand 3:03 Food, service and ambiance 3:58 How franchising started 4:23 What Rusty Taco looks for in franchisees 5:32 The franchise process 6:05 Inside the original garage 7:13 The patio and the Tres Amigos 7:41 Like-minded franchise partners 8:34 Financial challenges: measuring every dollar 10:00 Sales, profits and guest traffic 10:20 Menu highlights 11:21 Understanding your guests 11:41 Quality, variety and uniqueness 12:23 Tools for operations: why not AI (yet) 13:16 Thanks for watching 👇 Explore free restaurant tools and templates: https://restaurantassociation.com/unified/signup Restaurant Association is an independent global organization representing restaurant owners. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by any other national, state, provincial, or local restaurant association. #tacos #restaurantfranchise #chomp #rustytaco #restaurantassociation

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