Taco Cabana: Beginning as a single taco stand in San Antonio in 1978, this chain of Mexican cafés has dominated the region, growing its franchise and launching its popular catering service in 2004. And when these restaurants say “Welcome to the Great State of Taco Cabana,” they mean it. Fans of their fresh, flavorful fare get off the plane in San Antonio, Houston, or Dallas and head straight for the nearest Taco Cabana café for a breakfast taco, a fajita Cabana bowl, or a Cabanarita. Alarcon Design began our relationship with Taco Cabana in 1997, working in tandem with its agency of record to develop and maintain the restaurants’ brand identity in print and on the Web. We support its field marketing efforts with messages that go straight to the regional customer, as well as POPs, posters and banners, window clings, bag stuffers and tray liners. We developed Taco Cabana’s main Website, which has undergone two redesigns to stay aligned with the latest technologies and market research, and continue to regularly update the site’s time-sensitive promotions and special value call-outs.
We also designed the chain’s catering site, as well as its newly launched mobile site. “As my understanding of the interactive world has expanded, I’ve been able to bring that into my work with Taco Cabana,” says agency founder Marco Alarcon. “The mobile site is all about being useful and informative. We streamlined the robust main site into a smaller, highly detailed space, complete with locations, menus, catering and nutritional information that can be easily viewed and manipulated on a smartphone or any mobile device.” Because of the longevity of Alarcon’s relationship with Taco Cabana, we keep the chain’s visual brand and identity consistent across all messages and media: print, web, and mobile. We know when to spice things up, and when the original recipe is still the best.Â