Tacombi, an emerging chain focused on authentic Mexican food, received $27.5 million from restaurateur Danny Meyer’s Enlightened Hospitality Investments to open more taquerias and boost its consumer packaged goods business, the company announced Thursday.
Tacombi got its start in 2006, as a taco stand on the beach in Mexico, and has since expanded to 13 fast-casual neighborhood taquerias in New York, Miami and Washington D.C., with several locations under development in new and existing markets.
“Dario Wolos founded and leads the kind of beloved brand, winning business and enlightened team-first culture that beautifully aligns with our mission at Enlightened Hospitality Investments, Meyer, CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, said in a statement. “And, of course, we love the authentic food and drink, a loving expression of Dario’s desire to authentically share his love for Mexican hospitality with a broader American audience. Tacombi is building an incredibly dynamic business, solidly positioned for growth both with its bustling taquerias and exceptional line of quality packaged foods.”
Tacombi created Vista Hermosa, its CPG brand, because it couldn’t find tortillas that met its quality and authenticity standards, the company said. It currently sells tortilla chips and corn and flour tortillas in 800 retail stores. The company plans to expand into new retail categories for Mexican food.
The chain said it intends to operate at least 75 restaurants, in multiple formats, over the next five years, while also building its digital sales platform that saw explosive growth during the pandemic.
The funding round will enable Tacombi to fuel its omni-channel growth, its CEO and founder said in a statement.
“Since meeting Danny Meyer a few years ago, I’ve appreciated his thought partnership as we’ve continued to build our omni-channel business and taken steps to prepare Tacombi to scale into a global brand,” Wolos said. “With the EHI team’s expertise in international brand expansion and the support of all of our investors, we’re excited to share Mexican food and culture through our taquerias, products, and technology as we enter this next phase of growth.”
The Tacombi investment comes less than two months after Enlightened Hospitality Investments led a $65 million funding round to support 30-unit fast-casual chain Dig. The investment group, which was launched in 2017 with a $200 million fund, has funded a variety of restaurant technology companies, as well as online food retailer Goldbelly. The fund was created to further the growth of brands that share a similar business philosophy with Meyer’s restaurant company.
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