What Taco Time does

Taco Time, operating as Taco Time Northwest through the legal entity Accord Inc., is a regional quick-service Mexican restaurant franchise system founded in 1962 by Frank Tonkin Sr. in White Center, Washington. The company operates 77 franchise restaurants throughout Western Washington under fourth-generation Tonkin family leadership (co-presidents Robby and Chris Tonkin), serving approximately 12 million guests annually through dine-in, drive-thru, takeout, online/app ordering, and event catering. The company is the master franchisor for the Taco Time brand in Western Washington and is contractually separate from Kahala Brands (Scottsdale, AZ), which holds the Taco Time brand rights for the rest of the US and Canada and operates more than 200 franchised locations in those markets.

The menu spans the standard fast-casual Mexican QSR surface: combo meals, burritos (crisp, soft, classic, habanero, take-and-bake), tacos, soft tacos, salads, bowls, platters, kids meals, sides (including Mexi-Fries and Spicy Tater Fries), desserts (churros, Crustos, and Molly Moon's collaborations), and a catering program priced at $15.49 per person plus a $30 delivery fee. Underlying technology is standard QSR infrastructure (POS, mobile ordering via the Taco Time NW app on iOS and Android, an order-ahead web storefront, and a rewards program gated at $150 spend). The company is differentiated primarily through regional brand heritage, 100% renewable energy sourcing with Puget Sound Energy, carbon offsets via the Winston Creek Forest Carbon Project, and a 70%+ waste-diversion composting program rather than any proprietary technology layer.

The revenue model combines direct food sales at franchised restaurants, franchise royalties flowing through the broader Kahala system, catering transactions, gift card sales (GiveX), and merchandise. Pricing varies by location and item, with public catering pricing being the most transparent. Customer base is dominated by individual consumers and families for everyday dining, augmented by corporate and event customers for catering. Marketing channels emphasize paid search, social retargeting, email, and the mobile app rewards program. No revenue figures, unit economics, or capital structure are disclosed in available sources.

Name

Taco Time

Legal name

Accord Inc.

Website

https://tacotimenw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1962

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Taco Time Northwest (Accord Inc.) is a privately held, fourth-generation family-owned quick-service Mexican restaurant franchise operating 77 restaurants throughout Western Washington, serving approximately 12 million guests annually through dine-in, drive-thru, takeout, mobile-app ordering, and a $15.49-per-person catering program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Quick Service Mexican Restaurants

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Caterers (722320), Special Food Services (7223)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Mexican/Latin QSR (Tacos, Burritos, Bowls) (THAFAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Mexican & Tex-Mex Fast Casual (THAFABAC)

Keywords

• Quick service restaurant
• Mexican fast food
• Fast casual dining
• Drive-thru restaurants
• Event catering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Renton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Restaurant Food Sales: Direct food sales to consumers at franchise restaurant locations through dine-in, drive-thru, takeout, and catering orders.
2. Franchise Royalties: Parent company Kahala Brands generates revenue through franchise royalties from over 200 Taco Time locations across the US and Canada.
3. Catering Services: Catering orders at $15.49 per person with optional $30 delivery fee, generating additional revenue from group/event orders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Taco Time Northwest operates 77 quick-service Mexican restaurants throughout Western Washington, selling fresh, made-from-scratch burritos, tacos, soft tacos, salads, bowls, platters, kids meals, sides, desserts, and salsas prepared daily in each location. Customers access the food through dine-in, drive-thru, takeout, online/app ordering, and an event catering program, with a rewards loyalty program and gift cards supporting repeat visits.

Product overview

Taco Time is a quick service Mexican restaurant chain operating as Taco Time Northwest in the Pacific Northwest region. The company offers a diverse menu organized into product categories: Combo Meals (value bundles), Burritos (Crisp, Soft, Classic, Habanero, and Take n' Bake home varieties), Tacos (Crisp, Baja, Fish), Soft Tacos (Mini, Natural, Veggie, Fish, Spicy Ranch), Salads (Chop, Tostado, Taco, Caesar), Bowls (Fit-Hit), Platters (Nachos, Fiesta, Casita, Enchilada), Mini Time Meals, Kids Meals, Sides (Tater Fries, Chips, Beans, Rice), Desserts (Churro, Crustos, Molly Moon's collaborations), Salsas & Dressings, and Soups (White Chicken Chili). Supporting services include Catering for events ($15.49/person), a Mobile App for iOS/Android enabling order-ahead and rewards, Gift Cards (physical and digital), and a Rewards Program (earn free items after $150 spend). Limited-time seasonal items feature collaborations like Molly Moon's ice cream.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Taco Time Restaurant Dining Service Quick-service Mexican restaurant service offering dine-in meals, drive-thru, and takeout across 77 locations in Western Washington, serving burritos, tacos, soft tacos, salads, bowls, platters, kids meals, sides, desserts, and salsas prepared fresh in-house daily.
• Taco Bar Catering Service

Quantifiable outcome

• 12 million guests served annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Puget Sound EnergycoreTechnology or IntegrationTaco Time Northwest sources 100% of its electricity from renewable energy through Puget Sound Energy's Green Power Program, powering all restaurant locations with Pacific Northwest renewable energy.
• Winston Creek Forest Carbon ProjectcoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership to create a neutral carbon footprint for all restaurants, eliminating over 15.5 million pounds of CO2 each year through forest carbon offsets equivalent to not driving nearly 18 million miles.
• Molly Moon'sminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMolly Moon's provides exclusive ice cream products for Taco Time Northwest, including Molly Moon's Melted Chocolate and Molly Moon's Churro ice cream flavors, offered as limited-time dessert items.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Taco Bell: The largest Mexican QSR chain in the US (operated by Yum! Brands) with thousands of locations; the canonical Mexican QSR peer against which Taco Time is benchmarked on menu, pricing, and value perception.
• Del Taco: US Mexican QSR chain (subsidiary of Jack in the Box) operating hundreds of locations with a dual Mexican-American menu — directly comparable menu scope, ticket size, and service format to Taco Time.
• Qdoba Mexican Eats: Mexican fast-casual chain owned by Apollo Global; competes head-to-head with Taco Time on burritos, bowls, tacos, and catering, especially where Western Washington footprints overlap.
• Moe's Southwest Grill: FOCUS Brands-operated Mexican fast-casual chain with similar burrito/taco/quesadilla menu and franchise model; direct comparable on product mix, value-tier pricing, and franchise economics.
• Rubio's Coastal Grill: West Coast-focused Mexican fast-casual chain with Pacific Northwest presence; closest regional peer to Taco Time Northwest in terms of cuisine positioning and Western US footprint.
• Taco Cabana: Private-equity-owned Mexican QSR focused on Texas with drive-thru and dine-in format; directly comparable operating model and dinner-daypart strategy.
• Baja Fresh: Mexican fast-casual franchise concept serving flame-grilled items; comparable on product positioning (fresh/fast-casual) and franchise unit economics, though larger national footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Chipotle Mexican Grill: The dominant publicly traded Mexican fast-casual chain; a much larger incumbent that sets consumer expectations on freshness and customization that Taco Time's positioning borrows from.
• On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina: Full-service Mexican casual-dining chain overlapping with Taco Time's Mexican menu and customer base at the dine-in occasion; broader menu and bar program than Taco Time's QSR positioning.
• Chevys Fresh Mex: Regionally concentrated casual-dining Mexican chain (strong West Coast overlap with Taco Time Northwest) competing for the same consumer dining-out occasions at a higher check size.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tacotimenw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Taco Time