Fish Taco
Fish Taco is a privately held fast-casual restaurant chain operating six locations across the Washington DC metro area, serving Baja California-inspired Mexican cuisine via dine-in, online ordering, catering, and a loyalty program to local consumers and corporate clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersCabin John, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Fish Taco does
Fish Taco is a privately held, founder-owned fast-casual restaurant chain specializing in Baja California-inspired Mexican cuisine, headquartered in Cabin John, Maryland. Founded in 2017, the company operates six locations across the Washington DC metropolitan area (Falls Church, Tysons Corner/McLean, North Bethesda, Downtown Bethesda, Cabin John) with a seventh location in Darnestown scheduled to open in July 2026 and a Germantown site under construction. The core menu features hand-crafted tacos, rice bowls, burritos, quesadillas, salads, and small plates centered on signature beer-battered fish tacos, with proprietary recipes developed by Chef Eddie Moran. Distribution is omnichannel within the DC metro: dine-in counter service, takeout, online ordering via the Toast Tab platform, gift cards, and a corporate catering program (Taco Package at $18+/person, Burrito Package at $13.95-$15.95/person, minimum 20 people). Notably, no third-party delivery is offered, attributed to labor shortages.
The business model is built on per-item transaction pricing with a tiered offering spanning street tacos ($4.50-$4.75) up to signature fish tacos ($16.00) and ancho shrimp salads ($17.00). Revenue streams include dine-in and takeout food sales, catering services, Fish Taco Rewards loyalty points (1 point per $1 spent, $5 reward per 100 points with a 25-point welcome bonus), and gift cards. The customer base is geographically concentrated in the DC metro and segmented into local neighborhood consumers (families, casual diners, date-night traffic) and corporate/private-event catering customers. Marketing relies on earned media (Washingtonian, Eater DC, Fox 5 DC, WUSA9, DCist), organic social (Facebook, Instagram @eatfishtaco), and community engagement. The company is led by owner Francis Namin, with Brant Cotter serving as Director of Strategy and Development. The technology stack is lean: Toast Tab for orders, rewards, and gift cards, with no proprietary software, app, or AI/ML capabilities disclosed.
Fish Taco firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fish Taco
- Legal name
- Fish Taco
- Website
- https://fishtacoonline.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Fish Taco is a privately held fast-casual restaurant chain operating six locations across the Washington DC metro area, serving Baja California-inspired Mexican cuisine via dine-in, online ordering, catering, and a loyalty program to local consumers and corporate clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Fish Taco industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fast Casual Mexican Restaurant
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mexican & Tex-Mex Fast Casual (THAFABAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Seafood Fast Casual (THAFABAJ)
Keywords
Where Fish Taco is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cabin John
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
Fish Taco business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Dine-in and takeout food sales: Revenue from selling food and beverages at six restaurant locations in the DC metro area, including dine-in, takeout, and online orders.
- Catering services: Catering packages for corporate luncheons, business events, and private gatherings with Taco Package at $18+ per person and Burrito Package at $13.95-$15.95 per person.
- Loyalty rewards program: Fish Taco Rewards loyalty program where customers earn 1 point per $1 spent, with a 25-point welcome bonus and $5 off for every 100 points earned.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual menu items |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Catering packages |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Fish Taco product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fish Taco operates a fast-casual restaurant chain serving Baja California-inspired Mexican cuisine, including signature beer-battered fish tacos, burritos, rice bowls, quesadillas, salads, and small plates. The company sells its food through dine-in service at multiple DC metro locations, online ordering for pickup via the Toast Tab platform, and dedicated catering packages for corporate and private events. Supporting offerings include a points-based loyalty rewards program and gift cards sold through Toast.
Product overview
Fish Taco is a fast-casual restaurant chain specializing in Baja California-inspired Mexican cuisine. The company operates six locations across the Washington DC metro area (Falls Church, Tysons Corner, North Bethesda, Downtown Bethesda, Cabin John, and an upcoming Darnestown location). The core offering includes hand-crafted tacos, rice bowls, burritos, quesadillas, salads, and small plates, with dine-in, online ordering (via Toast Tab), and catering services. Additional offerings include a loyalty rewards program and gift cards.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Dine-In Restaurant Service Fast-casual dine-in service at multiple restaurant locations offering Baja California-inspired Mexican cuisine, including tacos, rice bowls, burritos, quesadillas, salads, and appetizers for walk-in customers in the Washington DC metro area.
- Online Ordering Digital ordering service for pickup that lets customers choose a Fish Taco location and place takeout orders online through the Toast Tab platform.
- Catering Services Group catering service for corporate events and private gatherings, offering a Taco Package ($18+ per person, minimum 20 people) and a Burrito Package ($13.95-$15.95 per person) with add-on sides such as chips, dips, elote, and garden salad for pickup at designated restaurant locations.
- Fish Taco Rewards Loyalty Program Customer loyalty program where members earn 1 point per dollar spent at Fish Taco and receive a $5 reward for every 100 points accumulated, with a 25-point welcome bonus for new sign-ups.
- Gift Cards Stored-value gift cards sold and redeemed through the Toast Tab platform that customers can purchase and send to others for use at any Fish Taco location.
Quantifiable outcome
- Loyal following developed based on distinctive menu, tasty margaritas, striking decor and casual atmosphere
Companies that use Fish Taco
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Fish Taco technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Fish Taco partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Fish Taco competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Taco Bell: Largest Mexican QSR chain (Yum! Brands) competing for similar occasion-based traffic in the DC market. Comparable on cuisine category and value tier, though positioned as quick-service rather than fast-casual.
- Chipotle Mexican Grill: National fast-casual Mexican chain with build-your-own tacos, bowls, and salads. Comparable to Fish Taco on category, format, and target customer, but operates at vastly larger scale with a multi-region footprint and dedicated digital/delivery infrastructure.
- SweetGreen: DC-originated fast-casual chain (publicly traded) that pioneered the local-source, tech-enabled, loyalty-driven fast-casual model in the same DC market Fish Taco operates in. Comparable on customer demographic and digital infrastructure, though in the salad/bowl vertical.
- Qdoba Mexican Eats: Large fast-casual Mexican chain offering tacos, burritos, bowls, and quesadillas with a customizable build-your-own format. Comparable category and price point to Fish Taco with national scale and strong digital ordering capabilities.
- Moe's Southwest Grill: National fast-casual Mexican chain (owned by Restaurant Brands International) with tacos, burritos, and queso-led menu similar to Fish Taco's category and price positioning, though at much larger franchise scale.
- CAVA: DC-originated fast-casual Mediterranean chain (now publicly traded) that shares the DC-rooted, locally-sourced, build-your-own positioning and tech-forward (loyalty, app) model that Fish Taco pursues, though in a different cuisine vertical.
Direct peers
- District Taco: DC-area fast-casual Mexican chain specializing in Yucatan-inspired tacos, burritos, and bowls with multiple locations across DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Closely comparable to Fish Taco on cuisine category, region, and operating format.
- Baja Fresh: National fast-casual chain focused on fresh, fire-grilled Mexican with an emphasis on Baja-style preparation. Directly comparable menu positioning and target customer to Fish Taco, though operating at much broader scale.
- Rubio's Coastal Grill: Coastal Mexican fast-casual chain whose signature item is the beer-battered fish taco — almost identical concept positioning to Fish Taco, but operating at multi-state scale primarily on the West Coast.
Regional players
- Tortilla Coast: DC-based fast-casual Mexican chain with multiple locations in the DC metro area. Directly comparable category, region, and target customer, but more traditional Mexican positioning versus Fish Taco's Baja-seafood emphasis.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Fish Taco social profiles
Digital presenceFish Taco financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fish Taco leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Fish Taco funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fish Taco M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Fish Taco
What does Fish Taco do?
Fish Taco operates a fast-casual restaurant chain serving Baja California-inspired Mexican cuisine, including signature beer-battered fish tacos, burritos, rice bowls, quesadillas, salads, and small plates. The company sells its food through dine-in service at multiple DC metro locations, online ordering for pickup via the Toast Tab platform, and dedicated catering packages for corporate and private events. Supporting offerings include a points-based loyalty rewards program and gift cards sold through Toast.
Is Fish Taco a public or private company?
Fish Taco is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Fish Taco founded?
Fish Taco was founded in 2017. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Fish Taco based?
Fish Taco is headquartered in Cabin John, United States, in the North America region.
How does Fish Taco make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Dine-in and takeout food sales are the primary driver. The others are catering services and loyalty rewards program.
Who are Fish Taco's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Taco Bell, Chipotle Mexican Grill, SweetGreen, Qdoba Mexican Eats, Moe's Southwest Grill and CAVA. Direct peers are District Taco, Baja Fresh and Rubio's Coastal Grill. Tortilla Coast is listed as a regional player.
Does Fish Taco have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fish Taco.
What industry is Fish Taco in?
Fish Taco's product category is Fast Casual Mexican Restaurant. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFABAC, Mexican & Tex-Mex Fast Casual, with a secondary code of THAFABAJ, Seafood Fast Casual.