Franchising

Taco John’s expanding with largest Wendy’s franchisee group

Provided

August 19, 2021

Taco John's has inked its biggest area development to date in a deal with the Meritage Hospitality Group, the largest Wendy's franchisee.

The company will build 50 restaurants by March 31, 2026, with options to develop an additional 150, according to a press release.

"Taco John's is the perfect fit for our company," Gary Rose, Meritage Hospitality Group president and COO, said in the release. "While exploring concepts to expand our portfolio, we were quickly attracted to Taco John's. We are excited about the Mexican restaurant segment and the bigger, bolder, better direction of the brand. We're excited to open our first restaurants near our headquarters in west Michigan in 2022."

The deal is historic for the brand, according to Brooks Speirs, Taco John's vice president for franchise development.

"As we begin our aggressive growth into new markets, there is no better partner than Meritage," he said in the release. "While getting to know the group, I've been impressed with the organizational infrastructure, attention to detail, commitment to people, operations capabilities and development of top-notch restaurants. The best is yet to come for Taco John's!"

Taco Johns operates more than 380 stores across 22 states. It was founded in 1969. Meritage Hospitality Group is the largest Wendy's franchisee with 345 restaurants across 16 states.