Early days Taco John's started in 1968 as a trailer called Taco House, run by John Turner. Turner was an officer in the
United States Air Force who served during the
Korean War and was an aspiring
entrepreneur; he was stationed at
FE Warren AFB. Initially, Turner wanted to find a physical location for a
taco stand. He went to James Woodson to find a location to lease, and Woodson redirected him to Harold W. Holmes, who converted one of his campers into a 12x30 trailer in seven days. This was popular at
Cheyenne Frontier Days. They also launched Woodson-Holmes Enterprises, which gave Woodson the restaurant franchise rights, and the company name became Taco John's International, Inc. The new franchise location featured Taco John's original
mascot, a devil, and displayed the tagline "the hottest spot in town". More locations opened in 1969, including the
Loveland, Colorado, location on Lincoln Avenue., with
Pizza Hut This led to more growth of the brand in the 1970s, with many new locations opening, including the 100th store in
Scottsbluff, Nebraska, in 1975. In 1973, the first physical brick-and-mortar, in-the-ground Taco John's was built at Carey Ave and W 23rd St in Cheyenne, Wyoming, including a
drive-through. The original Taco John's building was moved to S Greeley Hwy and I-80, where it was demolished, but there is still a Taco John's at that location today. and an
Arby's in
Lindenhurst, New York, that opened in 2015. While some of these combo stores still exist, including the Taco John's/Steak Escape Combo at Logan St and E 58th Ave in
Denver, many have either embarked on a solo journey as the Cheyenne Taco John's did after Good Times disappeared around 2010, or even completely shuttered, as in
Commerce City. Around the same time that some of these combo restaurants were closing, the original franchise owners were reaching their final days. Woodson died at age 87 in 2008 in
Scottsdale, Arizona. Holmes died in 2012 of heart complications at age 92 in a hospital in
Phoenix, Arizona.
Subsequent booms and challenges Although Taco John's targeted smaller
Midwestern and
Western communities in its early years, the chain also began expanding its presence in larger metropolitan areas like Denver and
Kansas City, where it had a minor presence since the 1980s. Taco John's also operates several outlets serving the U.S. Armed Forces through the
Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES). While some Taco John's have closed, others have opened, and new experiments have arisen. For example, in 2016, Taco John's saw its first
Love's Travel Stop location open in
Liberal, Kansas. This was not the first instance of a Travel Stop combo, with one of the more recent Taco John's opening in the Loves Travel Center of
Berthoud in 2018. In April 2016, the company announced a deal to open 40 new stores in
New York and
Tennessee. The deal includes 20 stores in the
New York City area and the Northeast with an option for 15 more. As of October 2016, the company had 390 restaurants spread throughout Wyoming and 24 other states. As of August 2021, there is only one New York location, in
JFK airport. In 2017, Taco John's opened 10 new locations and expanded to Tennessee and Indiana. In 2019, it planned to open new locations in central
Kentucky,
Georgia,
South Carolina and
North Carolina. As of August 2021, there are 380 locations, In 2022, Taco John's filed suit against a small Minnesota restaurant chain, Taco Chon, which it accused of stealing its image and likeness.
Building prototypes Taco John's has had many different styles over the years. Their most recent one is best reflected by the Cheyenne restaurant, the first location to use this specific style, rebuilt in 2019. ==Trademarks==