Taco John's CEO talks balancing innovation with brand's rich history

In this episode of the Restaurant Operator Podcast, host Mandy Detwiler, editor of QSRweb.com and Pizza Marketplace, chats with Heather Neary, president and CEO of Taco John's which has nearly 400 units in 23 states.

Neary took her leadership role last year, but Taco John's has been serving up tacos and its signature Potato Oles since 1969.

"We're a great legacy brand," Neary said. "We've got second-generation franchisees in the business. We've got a lot of really amazing operators who are here to honor the integrity of the historical brand that's got a lot of legs in front of it to grow forward."

Honoring the brand's rich history while innovating to gain new demographics is one of the brand's current operational goals. Neary said continual communication with the brand's franchisees and guests to understand the core assets of Taco John's that it "can't sway from" and where it can innovate to take it to the next level are primary targets.

For instance, the brand is testing AI in its drive-thru and has been for the past year or so.

"We're at a 93% to 94% accept rate which means that 6% of the time a human has to intercept the order because it's not going smoothly, but 93%, 94% of the time the AI voice ... is able to take the order for the guest and is able to do a great job delivering that great Taco John's experience that people are used to," Neary added.

To learn more about Taco John's and its innovations, listen to the podcast in its entirety. Don't forget to subscribe to the Networld Media Group podcast channel for more great restaurant interviews.