Staff also use a six-burner range to cook tomatillos, peppers, onions, garlic and spices to make salsa verde, which is placed on customers' tables in the dining area. We serve up to 4,000 customers a week, so we have to keep production moving quickly." "This production method contrasts with traditional taco production in which ingredients are placed directly into the tortillas. "Hot wells are essential for us in order to keep up with production demands," Fenton says. Once cooked, the ingredients are transferred to five hot wells, making them readily available for staff to build tacos and top with cilantro and onions. But usually three or four are on duty to handle the volume of traffic. "The line is designed to work with as few as two cooks," Fenton says. On the back line, staff use a 48-inch flattop griddle to cook ingredients for the tacos and fajitas, including mahi-mahi, shrimp, brisket, roasted pork, mushrooms, eggs, jalapeno sausage, cheese and potatoes. Staff use a six-foot stainless steel table to prep ingredients, including brisket, which is hand-shredded so the meat stays firm and fresh. A reach-in refrigerator holds corn and fresh flour tortillas. Rusty Taco is primarily a self-serve concept.Ĭustomers see most of the 1,700-square-foot operation with the exception of dishwashing, a hand sink, a walk-in cooler, dry shelving storage and an ice machine. They pick up beverages, chips, salsa, guacamole and chile con queso, which are positioned near the cash registers. Also with Carlson, Fenton provided transitional management for Samba Room, Timpano Italian Chophouse and Star Canyon, operating the restaurants until they were sold, as well as locating buyers for the concepts.Īfter customers place their orders and pay, they receive their meals at the counter within three minutes. On the Border is now owned by Brinker International and includes 160 restaurants.įenton also was employed by Carlson Restaurants Worldwide and worked with Stephan Pyles and Michael Cox to develop Taqueria Canonita, a Mexican food prototype for Carlson. As a consultant, Fenton worked with On the Border to help tighten operations before an IPO. Fenton also served as director of operations of Ocho Café, which has restaurants in Charlotte, N.C., and Myrtle Beach, S.C. As part of an Uncle Julio's joint venture, Fenton helped develop Chevy's, which has 111 restaurants. He was a founding partner of Uncle Julio's, a Dallas-based Mexican restaurant chain, which now has 16 locations. "Folks gotta eat, and Rusty Taco is going to feed them," says Fenton.įenton's decision to keep the concept simple and grow it slowly is a result of his 25-year history in the restaurant business. Rusty Taco's three key objectives are to offer a simple menu of tasty and authentic tacos prepared fresh every day, using many of the cooking techniques found in Mexican kitchens serve the food quickly in a unique and fun atmosphere that appeals to a large demographic base and allows operations in a variety of locations and become a mainstay in the community - a local hangout, not just another typical chain restaurant. "I've seen what can happen when you're numbers-versus site-oriented." "We're proceeding slowly and cautiously," Fenton says. The franchised Rusty Taco is located in St. Two others are scheduled to open this summer, one near Parkland Hospital in Dallas and the other near Texas A&M University in College Station. The first corporate-owned unit is on Greenville Avenue near Southern Methodist University. Customers see most of the production operation when they place their orders and sit in the dining area that features community seating and counter seating. Gray tiles cover the front counters, which provide another clue of the space's previous use. The gas station turned quick-service restaurant features an interior design in a garage motif with operable glass garage doors that staff open in good weather, a large covered patio with a 12-foot fan, exposed industrial lighting and ductwork and ice beer boxes. "I wanted it to be a gas station that sells tacos." "I liked the gas station and thought it would be fun to put a restaurant in this space," says Russell "Rusty" Fenton, the concept's founder and owner. The site was formerly a Chevron station before it was purchased to become a restaurant in 2010. When customers approach Rusty Taco in Dallas, they feel as though they are walking into a vintage gas station. The long tables and chairs encourage community dining. Rusty Taco’s interior captures the essence of its gas station predecessor with the beige, bright blue and orange walls,gray counter tiles and exposed industrial lighting and ductwork.
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