Mohammad “Mo” Farraj was in dental school learning how to be a surgeon when his best friend from childhood opened up a food truck in Miami.
His friend Omar Al Massalkhi was a chef by training and food trucks were on the rise. It seemed like a great idea.
But that was right before COVID-19 hit and the restaurant world was decimated. Al Massalkhi called his friend Farraj to say he was ready to hang it up and sell the truck.
But Farraj urged him to hold on. “I said, ‘Why don’t we do something with it ourselves?’” Farraj said. The two ended up launching a taco concept initially dubbed Taco ‘Bout It. It was meant to be a side hustle.
The concept was not meant to be so authentically Mexican, Farraj said. The two had watched the birria trend become popular on social media, though it hadn’t really hit Miami at that point. So birria became a focus.
Birria accounts for nearly 40% of sales. | Photo courtesy of Talkin' Tacos.
It was slow in the beginning, with roughly 10 customers per day initially. But then one day a 14-year-old showed up and took some “very low quality” video of the birria tacos.
The next day, Farraj was treating patients in his practice rotations at school, and he got a call from the cook on the truck.
“He was like, ‘Hey Mo, where you at? You need to get your ass over here. Bro, we have a line of like 300 people,’” said Farraj. “And I was like, ‘Are you sure you’re on the right food truck?’”
The teen’s video had gone viral, of course. Still, Farraj and Al Massalkhi didn’t think it would last.
“One month in, we thought it would be a fluke, that it would go away,” said Farraj. “But six months in, we were still rocking. The blessings have continued from that point.”
In May 2021, the two friends opened their first brick-and-mortar. Except they couldn’t trademark the name Taco ‘Bout It, because it was too common a phrase. So they changed the name to Talkin’ Tacos.
CEO Omar Al Massalkhi (left) and Mohammad "Mo" Farraj, CMO. | Photo courtesy of Talkin' Tacos.
Now the chain has 35 units in six states, with annual revenue of about $60 million and 500 employees.
The company plans to open another 24 restaurants over the next 12 months, reaching a total of 14 states. The goal is to reach 150 units nationally within five years.
All but nine are company-owned and the growth has been funded largely with cash flow, Farraj said.
Talkin’ Tacos did try franchising about three years ago, awarding those nine franchised locations.
But Farraj said they quickly realized they were not ready to be franchisors, and they pulled the plug on franchising going forward— though he said the existing franchisees are thriving.
“We didn’t have the systems nailed down,” he said. “We felt it was more important to be involved in every operation.”
The taco space has gotten very crowded over the past six years, and now birria tacos are fairly common. But Talkin’ Tacos is somewhat unique.
All of the protein is certified Halal, for example. Birria tacos are by far the best seller, accounting for roughly 39% of sales. But the menu also includes some specialty items like Birria Ramen and Birria Pizza (the latter made with tortillas in place of dough).
A Birria Grilled Cheese was also a social media hit.
@_talkintacos Our Viral Birria Grilled Cheese!! #viral#food#cheese♬ Sal con Limón - Banda Fresa Roja
The fusion aspect appeals to young diners looking for the “explosion of flavor,” Farraj said.
Talkin’ Tacos units tend to be open late, to 2 a.m. or later. And there’s no alcohol, so it’s a place to go after the bar to sober up, and where families feel comfortable.
Early on, people in the industry told Farraj they’d never make it without selling alcohol.
Now Talkin’ Tacos finds it has been able to scoop up the units closed by other taco concepts that sell alcohol. Talkin’ Tacos has taken over about 12 former Tijuana Flats locations in Florida, for example.
Farraj said the chain’s same-store sales have averaged increases of 17% every year. Units are generally about 2,000 square feet and average about $2,000 in sales per square foot, he said.
About half of the chain’s restaurants are in Florida, but the brand is moving into new markets. The 24 that are expected to open this year will mostly be outside the Sunshine State.
About half of Talkin' Tacos' 35 units are in Florida. |Photo courtesy of Google Maps.
Farraj, who serves as chief marketing officer and is now known as “Dr. Taco,” has given up his dental practice, at least for now. Al Massalkhi serves as CEO.
“We have an extremely healthy business. There’s no debt. All locations that are opening and have been opened are self-funded through cash flow of the business,” he said. “We’re young guys. We don’t have expensive lifestyles. We made sure that early on we didn’t get ourselves into too much debt. So we have that flexibility today of not being too worried about financing our growth.”