The family-run business Maskadores Taco Shop is staying busy, opening three more locations in 2023, including a more upscale, sit-down restaurant, President Caleb Zarraga told What Now Phoenix in a phone interview.
Zarraga and his father started with just one taco shop, a little 900-square-foot space in Tempe by the Arizona State University campus. In the past twelve years, they’ve established their Central Mexican menu in more than 15 new communities and just signed a lease for their twentieth location.
Many of the locations are run by family members or former employees “who’ve been employed with us for years and years, and now we actually give them the opportunity to open one up as well. We keep it pretty close-knit,” is how Zarraga explained each franchise’s success. His parent company oversees the individual eateries.
Their 18th location, run by former employees, will open on East University Drive in the Red Mountain/Mesa Submarket at the end of February. Zarraga told What Now Phoenix that they liked that area and its proximity to the high school.
In December of 2023, they’ll open another eatery in North Phoenix. Zarraga expressed how excited he was to hit that neighborhood: “Lucky Espiritu, [his leasing rep], got me a pretty good post over on 67th Avenue and Pinnacle Peak. We’re excited about the first North Phoenix location we’ve ever had. People there have been asking. “
In addition to these two franchises opening, Maskadores also has a sister location opening in the next two weeks at 7th and Mountain View. Tacos Xolo will be run by Zarraga’s brother and his partner as a different concept, with more upscale food and will serve as their first sit-down spot.
After these three spots open in 2023, Maskadores will see where else in the Phoenix area they need to go. “There are still a lot of people here in the valley who aren’t familiar with our food and our authentic ingredients. We’re just happy that we’ve been so successful over these 12 years, and we want to share it with as many people as we can,” he said.
There is no University of Arizona campus in Tempe. There is an Arizona State University campus.
Good news, but they seem to be shedding some restaurants almost as fast in West Phoenix (the Maskadores locations at 19th Ave and Northern has become a Tacos Chingon and the 35th Ave and Bethany Home location is coming a Salsitas)