Taco chain to add 13 new restaurants in SW, central Ohio

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

What to Know
By Mark Fisher
Oct 5, 2017
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More taco restaurants are on the way in Dayton and southwest Ohio.

R Taco — the Dallas, Texas-based street-taco restaurant chain that opened its first franchise location in Ohio in March on Brown Street near the University of Dayton — announced that it has signed a multi-unit agreement with Dayton-based franchise owner ThreeWitt Enterprises Inc. to greatly expand R Taco's footprint across central and southwest Ohio.

RELATED: R Taco is now hiring for its new restaurant near UD

“We signed a 13 location agreement that basically gives us the southern half of Ohio and Northern Kentucky,” ThreeWitt co-owner John Slaughenhaupt told this news outlet. “This area includes Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati.”

The R Taco on Brown Street near the University of Dayton. MARK FISHER/STAFF

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“We expect to open at least one more R Taco restaurant in the Greater Dayton Area, but right now, we are assessing the whole territory and working on our development game plan,” Slaughenhaupt said.

RELATED: R Taco restaurant opening today on Brown Street near UD (March 2017)

“After opening in March, it did not take us long to realize that R Taco was special and that our customers’ love of the concept was undeniable,” said Slaughenhaupt said in an R Taco release. “We feel the R Taco future is extremely bright and our team is excited to be a part of such a young and exciting brand.”

Slaughenhaupt’s partners in ThreeWitt are David Fisher and Eric Lundgren. The group previously owned 15 Buffalo Wild Wings franchise locations in Ohio and South Carolina.

RELATED: Milano’s owner eyeing former Qdoba space on Brown Street

“We are thrilled ThreeWitt has decided to expand beyond their location in Dayton to our franchise family as we continue to bring R Taco to additional markets,” Tom Berzinski, vice president and managing director of R Taco, said in a release. “Like us, they recognize consumers’ love for the unique experience, quality and freshness R Taco offers.”

R Taco will open its first Dayton-area location in the coming weeks on Brown Street. Photo from R Taco Facebook page

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RELATED: Qdoba to shut down Brown Street restaurant after 2 years

Launched in Dallas in 2010 as Rusty Taco and named for co-founder Rusty Fenton, the company shortened its name in 2015 to R Taco. There are currently 24 locations — 10 company-owned and 14 franchise-owned — in seven markets: Dallas, Denver, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Omaha, Des Moines, Iowa and Dayton.

RELATED: 4 things to know about the new restaurant coming to The Greene

Another Texas-based taco restaurant chain, Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, has signed an agreement to open its first Dayton-area location at The Greene Town Center in Beavercreek.

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About the Author

Mark Fisher, a 1981 graduate of Ohio State University and a 1976 graduate of Beavercreek High School, is a third-generation Dayton-area resident who has worked for the Dayton Daily News since 1983. He covered higher education and K-12 education accountability issues for nearly 20 years before taking over the food and dining beat in 2006.