Local Taco

What Local Taco does

The Local Taco (legal name: The Local Taco) is a privately held, independent casual dining restaurant chain founded in 2009 and headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. The company operates dine-in restaurants serving a Southern-Mexican fusion menu that combines deep South Texas recipes with Southern food traditions, including signature items such as The Total Local taco platter, Nashville Hot Chicken taco, and The Local Nacho. Beverage offerings center on handcrafted cocktails with freshly-squeezed juices, complemented by a curated beer, wine, and spirits selection.

As of the available data, the company operates two confirmed restaurant locations: one in Morehead, Kentucky (182 E Main Street, opened 2024) and one in Brentwood, Tennessee (146 Pewitt Drive). A third market, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, appears in catering outreach materials but is not confirmed as an operating dine-in site. Revenue is generated almost entirely through on-premise food and beverage transactions (dine-in, takeout, and delivery within a 25 km radius of Morehead) and event catering packages offered at custom quotes. Pricing is unit-based, with food items in the $3–$40 range and cocktails in the $8–$16 range.

The business has no proprietary technology platform, no mobile app, and no disclosed digital infrastructure beyond a website powered by third-party vendor Bolt Marketing, an email newsletter subscription form, and organic social media presence on Facebook and Instagram. Online ordering is described as "coming soon." The company employs 39 people across both units, has no disclosed funding rounds, no parent company, no franchise system, no patents or trademarks on record, and no public ownership or leadership disclosures. Its GTM motion is direct-to-consumer casual dining, with catering as a secondary channel targeting private parties and corporate events.

Name

Local Taco

Legal name

The Local Taco

Website

https://localtaco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Local Taco is a privately held, two-location casual dining restaurant chain founded in 2009 that serves Southern-Mexican fusion cuisine and handcrafted cocktails to neighborhood consumers in Morehead, Kentucky and Brentwood, Tennessee, with catering as a secondary channel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Casual Dining Restaurant

NAICS

Full-Service Restaurants (722511)

SIC

Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Ethnic & Regional Cuisine Restaurants (THAFACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Casual Dining Restaurants (THAFACAB)

Keywords

• Casual dining
• Mexican restaurant
• Taco restaurant
• Southern fusion
• Event catering

Headquarters

HQ city

Morehead

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Food and beverage sales: Restaurant generates revenue through sale of food items (tacos, bowls, shareables, sides, desserts) and beverages (cocktails, beer, wine, spirits) at physical locations. Individual transactions are one-time purchases with dine-in, takeout, or delivery options.
2. Catering services: Catering services for events and gatherings, offering various package options including boxes, bundles, taco bars, and platters for groups. Customers submit catering requests through the website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Local Taco is a casual neighborhood restaurant chain founded in 2009 that serves Southern-style tacos, Mexican-inspired cuisine, and handcrafted margaritas with freshly-squeezed juices. The company operates dine-in restaurants with full bar service in Kentucky and Tennessee, offers takeout and delivery (within 25 km), and provides catering packages for events. The menu combines Tex-Mex recipes from deep South Texas with Southern food traditions using locally sourced ingredients.

Product overview

The Local Taco is a restaurant chain offering Southern-style tacos and Mexican-inspired cuisine with a focus on locally sourced ingredients. The company operates dine-in restaurants, takeout, and delivery services, along with catering for events. The product portfolio includes signature dishes like The Total Local and The Local Nacho, a variety of taco fillings (Nashville Hot Chicken, Korean BBQ, Carnitas Pork, and more), Local Bowls with protein options, smoked chicken plates, shareable appetizers, kids menu items, and desserts. The beverage program features handcrafted signature cocktails including margaritas and specialty drinks, plus a selection of beer, wine, bourbon, whiskey, and other spirits.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Dine-In Restaurant Service Casual neighborhood dine-in restaurant offering Southern-style tacos, Mexican-inspired cuisine, handcrafted margaritas and a full bar service for local community customers.
• Catering Service

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bartaco: Upscale fast-casual Mexican concept offering tacos, rice bowls, and craft cocktails in a beach-inspired atmosphere. Comparable as a similarly positioned elevated Mexican casual concept with full bar program and neighborhood dining focus.
• Torchy's Tacos: Texas-based fast-casual taco chain with a creative, eclectic taco menu including signature specialty tacos. Comparable as a regional-to-expanding taco concept focused on unique taco varieties and premium casual dining experience.
• Taco Mama: Birmingham-based fast-casual taco chain with creative taco menu and craft beverage program. Comparable as a similarly sized regional taco concept with a Southern US footprint and emphasis on unique menu items.
• Velvet Taco: Premium fast-casual taco concept with chef-inspired rotating menu of unique taco varieties. Comparable as a differentiated taco-focused concept emphasizing premium ingredients and creative flavors in a similar neighborhood casual dining format.
• Condado Tacos: Build-your-own taco and margarita concept with craft cocktails and customizable menu. Comparable as a similar taco-focused casual dining chain with full bar program and creative menu customization.
• Fuzzy's Taco Shop: Fast-casual taco franchise with full bar program offering Baja-inspired Mexican food. Comparable as a similarly positioned taco chain combining casual dining with bar service in a neighborhood format.

Broad incumbents

• Chipotle Mexican Grill: Largest fast-casual Mexican chain in the US with thousands of locations. A broad incumbent competitor offering similar core menu items (tacos, bowls) with superior scale, technology infrastructure, and brand recognition.
• Qdoba Mexican Eats: National fast-casual Mexican chain offering tacos, burritos, and bowls. A broad incumbent competitor with superior scale and technology infrastructure targeting similar casual Mexican dining occasions.
• Moe's Southwest Grill: National fast-casual Mexican chain with 700+ locations serving burritos, tacos, and bowls. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the Mexican/Tex-Mex casual dining space with greater scale but less regional menu differentiation.

Regional players

• Taco Cabana: Texas-based regional Mexican fast-casual chain with full bar service. Comparable as a regional Mexican concept emphasizing Tex-Mex cuisine and margaritas, though primarily operating in Texas rather than KY/TN markets.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/thelocaltaco
• Instagraminstagram.com/thelocaltaco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/local-taco

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Local Taco