Taco John’s franchisee expanding in NoCo

Taco John’s International Inc., a Cheyenne-based fast-food restaurant with a small presence along the northern Front Range, is expanding its Northern Colorado presence.

Franchisee Dara Dejbakhsh is buying five existing Taco John’s locations and plans to build another five new restaurants.

The existing restaurants will be remodeled, according to a Taco John’s news release.

The company has not said specifically where the new shops will be located, but a spokeswoman said they’d be in or around Greeley, Firestone and Fort Collins.

“I’m thrilled to be expanding my restaurant portfolio with a brand like Taco John’s. The Mexican quick serve segment is definitely the place to be,” Dejbakhsh said in the release.“The food at Taco John’s was definitely a differentiator as I was doing my research in the industry. Our first location opening can’t come soon enough.”

Dejbakhsh, formerly the chief operating officer of Mrs. Fields cookie shops, owns 27 franchises for restaurant brands including TCBY, Pretzelmaker, Pretzel Time, Great American Cookies.

“Dara is a great fit to bring the new locations to Northern Colorado,” Taco John’s vice president for franchise development Brooks Speirs said in the release. “As we expand to larger cities, restaurant entrepreneurs like Dara are just who we’re looking for — with a passion for the food, and his background in the industry, we definitely have a winner here.”

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