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Never heard of either one of those. Guess I'm used to the chain supermarket stuff. Thanks, I'll definitely look into both of these.

Probably a jack and cheddar combo. Although I notice many taquerias solely use jack, I find that the bit a sharpness from cheddar makes for a better quesadilla. Or I could leave it up to the customer and offer both separately. Salsas will be limited to a mild red and hot red, a mild tomatillo green, pico de gallo and maybe a corn salsa. Thinking about doing away with hard shell taco and just offer soft flour tortillas and soft corn tortillas grilled quickly. And not to forget the veggie lover, I'll offer a tasty grilled vegetable medley of various peppers and onions.

My location is adjacent to an automall with 16 dealerships averaging 150-300 employees per store. It's safe to say most of my revenue will be coming from the lunch crowd. I'm also near a well established neighborhood as well as many small businesses which should bring in customers throughout the day. A Starbucks may be moving into the suite 2 down from my proposed site, so having them next door should help bring in a hungry crown and make for a great location. As far as carnitas, that's a no brainer. They will definitely find a home on my small selection of meats along with steak and chicken(white only). I plan on cooking my own beans(black and pinto) maybe refried too. Fortunately, I've located a tortilleria in town that makes delicious fresh flour and corn tortillas daily. I will look to use them and promote the local homemade aspect to attract more customers. Just like any great sandwich is all about the bread, so too is a great burrito all about the tortilla. At least that's my opinion. Nothing beats a soft homemade flour tortilla cooked up just to the brink of flakeyness. Hmmmmm...... I think I'll go work out some recipes right now.....

I know what you mean, getting stuck behind the person doing the lunch run for 10 at Subway. Here's what I will do. When I get my place up and running, I'll be sure to offer a taste so irristable that even you won't mind standing behind the office errand boy placing orders for half his co workers. I'll keep you posted for opening day 2007.

Have you been to Jake's Tex-Mex on Oak Street in Bakersfield? It's a similar assembly line concept except their base ingredient is shredded deep pit beef or shredded chicken. You'd be amazed at the different combinations they've come up with using a set of limited ingredients. It ranges from salads to sandwiches to Frito boats to nachos and on & on. All with either shredded beef or shredded chicken. If I recall correctly, it's an "L"-shaped set up with usually two employees on each side of the "L". The first employee will start putting your order together and pass it to the next employee to finish it. The other side of the "L" has the salads & fixin's along with desserts and beverages and the cashier (the 4th employee). While not the same cuisine, it's an idea similar to yours. Also, Subway sandwiches uses the assembly line method and usually has the very long lines to show for it. I think the more ingredients you offer, the more specialized the orders will be ("yes on the tomatoes, no on the onions, yes on the sour cream, no to the cheese") and if they're ordering for their entire office it really sucks to be in line behind them as they special order each sandwich. edited for punctuation! edited again to say now that I've read my post again, Jake's usually has long lines and so does Chipotle (and Subway). There is nothing quick about using an assembly line where the customer has to pick out the ingredients as the item is being put together. Go with eje's suggestion and have a cashier take the order. I think it would be faster by far. ← You make a valid point, but I think the popularity of these places(Jakes,Chipotle, Subway) is because of the fact that the customer gets to create his/her own product. Whether or not you have a cashier take your order and you sit and wait, or if your wait is spent in the assembly line. A 15 person wait is still a 15 person wait. Does that make any sense? Granted, you would have to emply a couple more people to work the line and someone to man the cashier, as opposed to one cook in the back putting orders together one by one. But, from my travels, these types of quick service/casual eateries generally are very popular and busy. The main thing is to offer quality fresh ingredients and stay focused on a handful of select items( ie. In and out hamburgers...what do they have...3 items on the whole menu?). As Erik mentioned, quesadillas would probably take the most time. I think this makes for faster service and a better overall product. Being able to focus on a few main items(Burritos, tacos, quesadillas) Yet allowing the customer to create varying styles and tastes to his/her liking. Alas, I'm no expert, that's why I am hear to learn from the masses.

Actually it's central California. Bakersfield to be exact.

Anybody out there own or work in a quick service burrito/taco shop? I'm looking to open one up and would appreciate any kind of information from someone in this style of food industry. I would like to serve burritos, tacos, quesadillas, salad in an assembly line style, where the customers watches and picks what he/she want on their burrito. In and out in a short amount of time. Very simlilar to a Chipotle or Qdoba. It's a small 1300 sq. ft suite in a 12 suite mini shopping center. It's in a great location, but construction of the facilty won't be complete for 12-18 months. Should be ample time to research, and possible work in a small place for a several months to gain experience. Seeking any kind of advice from start up, equipment, product, pitfalls,... etc...I'm all ears....or should I say all eyes.