Houston’s Taco Wars Escalate as Restaurants Keep Adding More ‘Taco’ to Their Names
- Sue Flay
- Feb 8
- 3 min read
By Sue Flay, Daily Throb Senior Food Correspondent
HOUSTON—What started as a simple taco stand named Taco has spiraled into an all-out war of branding one-upmanship, with local businesses now locked in a never-ending cycle of adding another “Taco” to their names. What was once Taco became Taco Taco, which begat Taco Taco Taco, and now, Houston’s newest taqueria, Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco has thrown down the tortilla-covered gauntlet.
“It’s a statement,” said Jorge Rodríguez, owner of Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco. “People used to come in and ask if we were the same as Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco, and I had to tell them, ‘No, we’re the next level of tacos.’ It just makes sense. More tacos, more ‘Taco.’”
The trend has become so aggressive that some restaurants have started reserving future names. The owners of Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco have already filed paperwork to secure Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco, in anticipation of their expansion. Meanwhile, the original Taco has refused to add even a single extra word, standing firm in what some call a bold, minimalist protest against the madness.
“It’s gotten out of hand,” said Maria López, a longtime customer. “I used to go to Taco Taco, but then Taco Taco Taco opened, and I thought, ‘Well, they must be better.’ Now I don’t know where to eat because I can’t remember how many ‘Tacos’ were in the name of the place I liked.”
Marketing experts say the strategy is a double-edged sword. “It creates immediate brand recognition,” said local business analyst Steve Limes. “But at some point, it becomes impossible to fit the name on a sign, a receipt, or a Yelp review. We’re nearing a crisis where some of these restaurants are legally required to shorten their names to an acronym, but no one can agree on how many ‘Tacos’ should be included.”
In response, some food critics have started ranking restaurants not by their food but by how easy they are to pronounce. Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco currently holds the record for most syllables in a Houston restaurant name, though challengers are rumored to be entering the market. Unconfirmed reports suggest a group of investors is planning to open Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco Taco, a move some are calling “reckless but inevitable.”
The City of Houston has not yet stepped in to regulate the trend, though officials admit they are monitoring the situation. “At some point, we may have to limit the number of ‘Tacos’ a business can use,” said City Council member Linda Márquez. “Otherwise, we’ll be looking at street signs three blocks long just to fit the names of local restaurants.”
For now, the great Taco Wars continue. But as one restaurant owner put it, “There’s always room for one more.”
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