The Smoked Taco
The Smoked Taco operates an 8-location Utah restaurant chain serving slow-smoked BBQ-meets-Mexican fusion tacos, sides, and catering to individual diners and event clients via Toast Tab and EZ Cater.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2020
- Headquarters—
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Smoked Taco does
The Smoked Taco is a privately held, Utah-based restaurant chain that operates a BBQ-Mexican fusion concept serving slow-smoked meat tacos, sides, and catering. The company runs 8 brick-and-mortar locations across Utah (American Fork, Bountiful, Murray, Pleasant Grove, Riverdale, Sandy, Saratoga Springs, and St. George) and serves both individual consumers (dine-in, takeout, online pickup) and event catering clients (weddings, corporate functions, family reunions). The menu centers on 12+ signature tacos (including The Gringo, The Fleeing Californian, The Bang Bang, The Smoking Pastor, and The OG), complemented by smoked meat nachos, taco salad, smoked corn elote, churro fries, and a retail line of proprietary seasoning packets and dry rubs. The proprietary smoking method is the core differentiator, combining slow-smoked barbecue techniques with Mexican street food flavors and house-developed sauces.
The underlying technology stack is conventional restaurant commerce tooling: Toast Tab powers online ordering and gift card sales across all locations, EZ Cater serves as the catering marketplace channel, and the website (WordPress CMS, built by Big Red Jelly) handles marketing and a dedicated catering request form. The brand is supported by Instagram and Facebook for organic social. Pricing is pay-as-you-go at the unit level (~$5-6 per taco), with catering priced transactionally (free pickup, $30 delivery, 15% full-service surcharge). The company was founded by BBQ professionals with 35+ years of combined experience and grew organically from a food truck (September 2020) to 8 brick-and-mortar locations by 2025 without disclosed external funding.
The business model combines three revenue streams: dine-in and takeout food and beverage sales across 8 Utah locations (the largest stream), event catering services via EZ Cater and direct inquiry, and retail sale of proprietary seasoning packets, sauces, and catering supplies. Customer segments split between individual local diners (the primary consumer segment) and event catering clients (the primary use-case segment for the B2B/event channel). The company has no disclosed institutional investment, parent company, or external investors, reflecting a bootstrapped, founder-owned growth profile.
The Smoked Taco firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Smoked Taco
- Legal name
- The Smoked Taco
- Website
- https://thesmokedtaco.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2020
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- The Smoked Taco operates an 8-location Utah restaurant chain serving slow-smoked BBQ-meets-Mexican fusion tacos, sides, and catering to individual diners and event clients via Toast Tab and EZ Cater.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Smoked Taco industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fast Casual Restaurant (BBQ-Mexican Fusion)
- NAICS
- Limited-Service Restaurants (722513)
- akta.pro primary industry
- BBQ & Smokehouse Fast Casual (THAFABAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Mexican & Tex-Mex Fast Casual (THAFABAC)
Keywords
The Smoked Taco business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Dine-In and Takeout Food Sales: Direct food and beverage sales from 8 Utah restaurant locations. Customers purchase smoked meat tacos, nachos, sides, and beverages for immediate consumption or takeout. Average taco priced at $5-6 per unit.
- Catering Services: Full-service and pickup catering for events including weddings, corporate lunches, family reunions. Pricing includes delivery option ($30) and full-service option (15% additional). Menu features bulk taco platters and smoked meat spreads.
- Gift Card Sales: Digital and physical gift cards sold through Toast Tab platform across all 8 Utah locations. Gift cards available for purchase at individual locations or online.
- Retail Seasoning and Merchandise: Sale of proprietary seasoning packets, dry rubs, and cooking supplies including Brisket Rub, Pork Rub, Chicken Rub, specialty sauces, and catering supplies like Butcher Paper Rolls.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual taco items priced at $5-6 per taco |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Catering delivery and full-service options |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Seasoning packets and retail merchandise |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
The Smoked Taco product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Smoked Taco operates a fast casual restaurant chain that serves slow-smoked barbecue fused with Mexican street-food preparations, including signature smoked-meat tacos (brisket, pulled pork, smoked chicken, tri-tip, shrimp), nachos, sides, and churro fries across 8 Utah locations. Beyond dine-in and takeout, the company offers event catering (weddings, corporate lunches, family reunions) via the EZ Cater platform and sells proprietary house-made seasonings and sauces at retail. The brand combines a premium smoky barbecue technique with bold, rebellious Mexican flavors and generous portions priced at approximately $5-6 per taco.
Product overview
The Smoked Taco is a Utah-based BBQ-Mex fusion restaurant chain offering a unified food service brand. The core product portfolio centers on premium smoked meat tacos with twelve signature taco varieties (The Gringo, The Fleeing Californian, The Bang Bang, The Smoking Pastor, The Bird, The OG, The Banh Fire, The Cornivore, The Hot Chick, The Surf & Turf, The Memphis, The BLT), complemented by shared plates (Smoked Meat Nachos, Taco Salad) and sides (Smoked Corn Elote, Churro Fries, various Chips combinations). Supporting offerings include catering services for events and a line of packaged seasonings and sauces for retail purchase. The brand operates eight locations across Utah, with online ordering via ToastTab and catering coordination through ezCater.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Signature Smoked-Meat Tacos
- Smoked Meat Nachos
- Taco Salad
- Sides (Smoked Corn Elote, Churro Fries, Chips + Salsa, Chips + Queso, Chips + Loaded Queso, Chips + Guac)
- Event Catering Services
- Retail Seasoning and Merchandise
- Gift Cards
Quantifiable outcome
- Sold out at first taco service from food truck in 2015
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The Smoked Taco
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Smoked Taco technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature3 records
The Smoked Taco partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Toast TabcoreToast Tab provides the online ordering platform powering The Smoked Taco's direct-to-consumer ordering across all 8 Utah locations. Customers use Toast Tab to place pickup orders, purchase gift cards, and manage orders. The platform handles payment processing and order management.
- EZ CatercoreEZ Cater is a catering marketplace platform used by The Smoked Taco to manage catering orders. Catering specialists use the platform to handle event orders for pickup and delivery. The partnership expands The Smoked Taco's reach to catering customers searching for event food options.
- Southern PridecoreSouthern Pride Smoker is referenced in the company's founding story. The founders used a Southern Pride Smoker to start making tacos loaded with smoked meats for staff, friends, and family, which eventually led to the creation of The Smoked Taco brand.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Smoked Taco competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat3 records
Key highlights9 records
Customer concentration
The Smoked Taco social profiles
Digital presenceThe Smoked Taco financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Smoked Taco leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Smoked Taco funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Smoked 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 The Smoked Taco
What does The Smoked Taco do?
The Smoked Taco operates a fast casual restaurant chain that serves slow-smoked barbecue fused with Mexican street-food preparations, including signature smoked-meat tacos (brisket, pulled pork, smoked chicken, tri-tip, shrimp), nachos, sides, and churro fries across 8 Utah locations. Beyond dine-in and takeout, the company offers event catering (weddings, corporate lunches, family reunions) via the EZ Cater platform and sells proprietary house-made seasonings and sauces at retail. The brand combines a premium smoky barbecue technique with bold, rebellious Mexican flavors and generous portions priced at approximately $5-6 per taco.
Is The Smoked Taco a public or private company?
The Smoked Taco is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Smoked Taco founded?
The Smoked Taco was founded in 2020.
How does The Smoked Taco make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Dine-In and Takeout Food Sales are the primary driver. The others are catering Services, gift Card Sales and retail Seasoning and Merchandise.
Does The Smoked Taco have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Smoked Taco.
What industry is The Smoked Taco in?
The Smoked Taco's product category is Fast Casual Restaurant (BBQ-Mexican Fusion). Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFABAH, BBQ & Smokehouse Fast Casual, with a secondary code of THAFABAC, Mexican & Tex-Mex Fast Casual. Its NAICS code is 722513.