Tacos 1986

Name

Tacos 1986

Website

https://tacos1986.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fast-Casual Mexican Restaurant

NAICS

Limited-Service Restaurants (722513), Caterers (722320)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Mexican & Tex-Mex Fast Casual (THAFABAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

All-Day Dining Restaurants (THAFACAJ)

Keywords

• Tijuana-style tacos
• Mexican fast casual
• Taco restaurant chain
• Event catering services
• Branded merchandise

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food & Beverage Sales (Dine-in, Pickup, Delivery): Revenue generated from the sale of Tijuana-style tacos, breakfast items, burritos, quesadillas, mulitas, vampiros, bowls, combos, and sides at company-owned restaurant locations. Orders can be placed in-store, via the company's Toast Tab online ordering platform, or through third-party delivery platforms (Uber Eats, Postmates).
2. Catering & Events: On-site taco cart experiences and custom platter orders for corporate events, parties, and private gatherings. Catering inquiries are managed through a dedicated form and email ([email protected]).
3. Merchandise: Branded merchandise sold via the company's Shopify storefront (https://tacos-1986.myshopify.com/).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Tacos 1986 operates company-owned restaurants serving authentic Tijuana-style tacos featuring hand-made-to-order corn tortillas, flame-grilled meats (Carne Asada, Pollo Asado, Adobada/Al Pastor), and a vegan Mushroom option, with fresh guacamole, onion, cilantro, and salsa. The company complements its dine-in and pickup restaurant operations with online ordering through Toast Tab, third-party delivery via Uber Eats and Postmates, on-site catering (taco carts and platters) for events, and branded merchandise sales via Shopify.

Product overview

Tacos 1986 is a single-location Tijuana-style taco restaurant concept that expanded into a multi-location restaurant chain across Los Angeles and Las Vegas. The core product is authentic Tijuana-style tacos featuring hand-made-to-order corn tortillas, flame-grilled meats cooked over fire, and fresh toppings. The restaurant offers a full menu including tacos, breakfast items, combos, and sides, complemented by ancillary services such as catering, fundraiser hosting, and merchandise sales. The company operates on a unified restaurant model without a platform-plus-modules architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tacos 1986 Restaurant (Dine-in and Pickup) Company-owned restaurants serving authentic Tijuana-style tacos with hand-made-to-order corn tortillas, flame-grilled meats (Carne Asada, Pollo Asado, Adobada/Al Pastor cooked off the trompo), vegan Mushroom tacos, fresh guacamole, onion, cilantro, and salsa. Service includes a full menu (tacos, breakfast, combos, and sides) for individual consumers at 11 locations across Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and New York City.
• Tacos 1986 Catering Services On-site taco cart experiences and custom platter orders for corporate events, private parties, and large group gatherings. Inquiries are coordinated via a dedicated catering email ([email protected]) and the Toast Tab catering link.
• Tacos 1986 Branded Merchandise Branded merchandise items (e.g., apparel) sold directly to consumers through the company's Shopify storefront at tacos-1986.myshopify.com.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• Uber EatssupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUber Eats is used as a delivery channel for Tacos 1986's products, enabling customers to order tacos and other menu items for home delivery through the Uber Eats platform.
• PostmatessupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPostmates is used as a delivery channel for Tacos 1986, allowing customers to order for delivery through the Postmates platform.
• Toast TabcoreTechnology or IntegrationTacos 1986 uses Toast Tab as its primary online ordering platform for pickup orders at all locations, as well as for catering order management and email newsletter signup. The company links directly to order.toasttab.com for all locations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves15 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Guzman y Gomez: Australian-founded Mexican fast-casual chain that has expanded into the U.S. with a similar authentic-Mexican positioning, dine-in + digital ordering model, and aggressive multi-unit growth strategy — the closest publicly comparable peer to Tacos 1986.
• Trejo's Tacos: LA-based taco concept founded by actor Danny Trejo with a celebrity/founder-led brand, premium positioning, and brick-and-mortar expansion across Los Angeles — directly comparable on geography, founder-driven brand, and authentic Mexican menu.

Broad incumbents

• Taco Bell: Largest Mexican QSR incumbent globally with thousands of U.S. locations; competes for the same lower- and middle-tier taco occasion and sets category price benchmarks that constrain Tacos 1986's pricing flexibility.
• Chipotle Mexican Grill: Dominant U.S. fast-casual chain with a similar build-your-own Mexican menu and digital ordering infrastructure; represents the scale benchmark and operational template for premium Mexican fast-casual.
• Sweetgreen: Founder-led fast-casual chain that scaled from a single LA-area store to a national brand with strong digital ordering and brand-driven marketing — useful comp for trajectory, capital, and AUV benchmarks.
• CAVA Group: Public fast-casual chain that scaled a chef-driven ethnic cuisine concept nationally; provides a comparable growth and unit-economics benchmark for an emerging premium fast-casual operator.
• Qdoba Mexican Eats: Multi-unit Mexican fast-casual chain (hundreds of U.S. locations) with dine-in, pickup, and catering channels; competes for the same fast-casual Mexican occasion at a comparable price point.

Regional players

• Tocaya Organica: Modern Mexican fast-casual concept based in California with multiple SoCal locations; comparable on regional footprint, health-leaning menu positioning, and millennial/Gen Z target consumer.
• Carnitas El Momo: LA-based authentic Mexican concept with cult following and food-festival origin story; comparable on Tijuana/Mexican authenticity positioning, founder-led brand, and LA street-food heritage.

Others

• Shake Shack: Founder-led fast-casual chain that scaled from a single NYC location to a national brand on the strength of earned media and product quality — useful as a brand-driven growth and digital/e-commerce benchmark, though in a different cuisine category.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/tacos1986catering
• Xx.com/tacos1986

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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 Tacos 1986