Taco Casa
Taco Casa is a family-owned Tuscaloosa-based chain of fast-food Mexican restaurants founded in 1974 by Rod and Susan Wilkin.
Rod Wilkin grew up in the Midwest, but was recruited to punt for the Crimson Tide in 1968. With a small inheritance he had built up on the stock market, he moved back to Tuscaloosa from Wichita, Kansas to open his first restaurant. Carl Knight of Knight Sign Industries designed the business' iconic cactus-shaped sign.
Rod's brother. Larry, moved to Alabama to join the business a few years later. It has since employed a second generation of the family. Ben is vice-president of marketing; Rod II is vice-president of operations; and Brett is vice-president of personnel. All three have managed stores, and still commonly work shifts at the restaurants during lunch rush. The company's offices moved from Watermelon Road to a new building at 1060 Fairfax Park in 2000.
Locations
- 619 McFarland Boulevard (U.S. Highway 82), Northport, August 1977-
- 1015 Skyland Boulevard
- 603 15th Street East, 1988– (destroyed by April 2011 tornado outbreak and reopened in October)
- 125 Wildwood Parkway, Homewood
- 5500 McFarland Boulevard, Northport, December 1999-
- 8729 Alabama State Highway 69, Tuscaloosa, 2000–
- 4530 Rice Mine Road, Tuscaloosa
Former locations
- 1801 10th Avenue, Tuscaloosa, 1974–
- Auburn (franchise location), 1979–1985
- University Mall, Tuscaloosa, August 1980–1990
- Bel Air Mall, Mobile, (franchise location) 1984
- U.S. Highway 280, Birmingham (franchise location)
- Tutwiler Hall, Tuscaloosa
References
- "Taco Casa celebrates 10th anniversary" (September 8, 1984) The Tuscaloosa News, p. 4
- Watkins, Ed (September 9, 1999) "Taco Casa building new stores." The Tuscaloosa News, p. 5B
- Cornelius, Donna (June 2018) "Taco The Town: After 44 years, Taco Casa is still tops in Tuscaloosa". Tuscaloosa magazine. Vol. 16, No. 3, pp. 8–12
- Carlton, Bob (August 30, 2018) "An Alabama tradition: Tuscaloosa’s Taco Casa." The Birmingham News
- Flanagan, Ben (November 4, 2021) "‘The good ice’ people travel great distances for at this Alabama restaurant." The Birmingham News
External links
- Taco Casa website