Taco Bueno

Taco Bueno is a U.S.-based fast-food restaurant chain specializing in Tex-Mex-style Mexican cuisine. Currently headquartered in Farmers Branch, Texas, the first location was in Abilene, Texas in 1967. The company has locations in Arkansas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, with concentrations in North Texas and Oklahoma. The chain currently includes 142 restaurants as of 2022.
== History ==
Taco Bueno was founded in 1967 by Bill R. Waugh, an art graduate from Abilene Christian University. The first store was located in Abilene, Texas.
In 1981, British food manufacturer Unigate paid $32.5 million to acquire Taco Bueno.
In 1996, Taco Bueno was sold to Carl's Jr.'s franchisor CKE Restaurants.
In 2001, the private investment group Jacobson Partners purchased the chain for $72.5 million to help aid CKE Restaurants in a debt battle.
On August 10, 2005, Palladium Equity Partners announced the purchase of Taco Bueno from Jacobson Partners. At the same time, John Miller was appointed CEO of Taco Bueno. In 2011, Ed Lambert became CEO of Taco Bueno, LP., followed by Mike Roper in 2015.
In fall 2015, Taco Bueno announced its first delivery expansion collaboration with mobile app Tapingo.
In early December 2015, Taco Bueno was purchased by TPG Growth, a division of the Fort Worth private-equity firm TPG Capital.
On April 28, 2017, season eight, episode seven of the CBS show Undercover Boss, debuted with the CEO of Taco Bueno going into the field to several Taco Bueno locations.
As of April 2018, Mike Roper who had left in late 2017, was replaced as CEO by Omar Janjua, who subsequently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on November 6, 2018, for reorganization and continued operation, and also agreed to be acquired by Dallas-based Sun Holdings, which already owned or controlled over 800 various other fast food franchise locations, for an undisclosed amount. An affiliate of Sun Holdings, Taco Supremo, assumed Taco Bueno's outstanding debt and supplied $10 million in working capital to reorganize and revitalize the business. On January 15, 2019, Taco Bueno emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
In mid-June 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the chain opened its first Houston-area location in Katy.
== References in popular culture ==
* Taco Bueno has been referenced several times on the television show King of the Hill. In the episode, "Kidney Boy and Hamster Girl: A Love Story," Bobby discovers a Taco Bueno in the cafeteria of the high school where he is pretending to be a student.
* Founder Bill Waugh also founded Casa Bonita, a chain with one location remaining in Lakewood, Colorado. It was featured on an episode of South Park.
Category:Restaurants
Category:Mexican Restaurants