Franchising

Taco John's signs 10-unit Colorado deal with veteran QSR leader

Photo: Taco John's via Twitter.

June 17, 2021

Taco John's International Inc. said it will expand "rapidly" in Colorado after signing a deal with restaurant and franchise entrepreneur, Dara Dejbakhsh. As part of the 10-unit deal for northern Colorado, Dejbakhsh is purchasing five existing units and will build another five stores, with all the current stores scheduled for remodeling by year's end, a news release said.

"I'm thrilled to be expanding my restaurant portfolio with a brand like Taco John's. The Mexican quick serve segment is definitely the place to be," Dejbakhsh said in the release. "The food at Taco John's was definitely a differentiator as I was doing my research in the industry. Our first location opening can't come soon enough!"

Dejbakhsh has than 40 years of industry experience and is co-founder and CEO of DND Group Inc. The management company owns and operates 27 franchisee restaurants in Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Oklahoma and Wyoming.

Additionally, Dejbakhsh was the COO of Mrs. Fields, where he was responsible for overseeing all brands with in Mrs. Fields portfolio worldwide, including Mrs. Fields, TCBY, Pretzelmaker, Pretzel Time, Great American Cookies. Prior to that, Dejbakhsh was in charge of Dunkin' brands for the western U.S., Asia pacific, Canada and Australia.

"Dara is a great fit to bring the new locations to Northern Colorado," Brooks Speirs, Taco John's vice president for Franchise Development, said in the release. "As we expand to larger cities, restaurant entrepreneurs like Dara are just who we're looking for — with a passion for the food, and his background in the industry, we definitely have a winner here."
Taco John's is based in Cheyenne, Wyoming and has more than 380 stores open across 22 states