King Taco

King Taco is a Los Angeles-based chain of Mexican fast-food restaurants founded in 1974 by Raúl Martínez Sr., which began as a taco truck converted from an ice cream truck.

History

Raúl Martínez Sr. started King Taco in 1974 with a mobile lunch wagon he built from a used ice cream truck. Within about six months he opened the first restaurant in Cypress Park, followed by a larger flagship in East Los Angeles. By 1995 the company had 14 restaurants grossing more than $21 million, and it often reused vacant commercial buildings for new branches, which has been credited with contributing to neighborhood revitalization.

The chain had 23 locations across Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties by 2015 and later expanded into the Inland Empire, Old Town Pasadena and Long Beach. Martínez died in Mexico City in December 2013 at age 71.

Other activities

King Taco has sponsored motorsports, including the planned King Taco 500 Champ Car race at California Speedway in 2003, which was canceled because of wildfires, and an IndyCar entry at the 2019 Grand Prix of Long Beach. In 2008 it won a trademark infringement case in federal court in Nevada against a business called King Taco Express.

Reviews

References

1. "King Taco". Wikipedia. Retrieved 2026-10-10.