Due to demand, Taco John's is exploring more drive-thru-only restaurants. Over the last two years, Taco John's like many other fast-casual eateries saw a jump in drive-thru and pick-up orders. In early 2020, before the pandemic, Taco John's set up a temporary office in the Twin Cities with the intention of including a test kitchen, but the pandemic threw a wrench in plans. "We loved this area so much because of its access to retail, restaurants and such," Westrum said. Louis Park location because of its convenience for its employees, who have mostly returned to working in the office. The locations will help serve as first adopters of various new restaurant technology and equipment features like a new cloud-based commerce platform still in the works that will integrate everything from menu displays to worker schedules. Taco John's will open a store in Burnsville and Eagan next month, both part of only a handful of stores owned by the company and not franchisees. Minnesota has Taco John's highest concentration of stores, with nearly half of the brand's restaurants located within a four-hour drive of Minneapolis. Taco John's main headquarters remains in Cheyenne, Wyo. The center, which currently offices about 30 employees with space for more, helps run the chain's operations, supply chain, marketing and technology. The test kitchen is part of a 20,000-square-foot restaurant support center that Taco John's created in offices above the West End shops. "There's an art and science to product development and having the science facility where we can real time get feedback from consumers on new products, procedures and flavors." "One of the ways we feel we will continue to be successful in the future is with extensive product testing," said Barry Westrum, Taco John's chief marketing officer, during a tour of the space. There's a tortilla conveyor to help fry taco shells to an optimal temperature and a special freezer that drops the eatery's famous "potato olés" into baskets akin to a coin dispenser. The company last month opened a new state-of-the-art test kitchen, where chefs and researchers are developing new recipes and experimenting with new gadgets. Louis Park, Taco John's is reimagining tacos and how to make them.
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