R Taco to expand throughout Columbus, Cincinnati area

More taco restaurants are on the way in Dayton and southwest Ohio.

R Taco — the Dallas, Texas-based street-taco restaurant chain that opened its first franchise location in Ohio in March on Brown Street near the University of Dayton — announced that it has signed a multi-unit agreement with Dayton-based franchise owner ThreeWitt Enterprises Inc. to greatly expand R Taco's footprint across central and southwest Ohio.

“We signed a 13 location agreement that basically gives us the southern half of Ohio and Northern Kentucky,” ThreeWitt co-owner John Slaughenhaupt told this news outlet. “This area includes Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati.”

“We expect to open at least one more R Taco restaurant in the Greater Dayton Area, but right now, we are assessing the whole territory and working on our development game plan,” Slaughenhaupt said.

RELATED: R Taco restaurant opening today on Brown Street near UD (March 2017)

“After opening in March, it did not take us long to realize that R Taco was special and that our customers’ love of the concept was undeniable,” said Slaughenhaupt said in an R Taco release. “We feel the R Taco future is extremely bright and our team is excited to be a part of such a young and exciting brand.”

Slaughenhaupt’s partners in ThreeWitt are David Fisher and Eric Lundgren. The group previously owned 15 Buffalo Wild Wings franchise locations in Ohio and South Carolina.

“We are thrilled ThreeWitt has decided to expand beyond their location in Dayton to our franchise family as we continue to bring R Taco to additional markets,” Tom Berzinski, vice president and managing director of R Taco, said in a release. “Like us, they recognize consumers’ love for the unique experience, quality and freshness R Taco offers.”

Launched in Dallas in 2010 as Rusty Taco and named for co-founder Rusty Fenton, the company shortened its name in 2015 to R Taco. There are currently 24 locations — 10 company-owned and 14 franchise-owned — in seven markets: Dallas, Denver, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Omaha, Des Moines, Iowa and Dayton.

Another Texas-based taco restaurant chain, Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, has signed an agreement to open its first Dayton-area location at The Greene Town Center in Beavercreek.

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About the Author

Mark Fisher

Mark Fisher, a 1981 graduate of Ohio State University and a 1976 graduate of Beavercreek High School, is a third-generation Dayton-area resident who has worked for the Dayton Daily News since 1983. He covered higher education and K-12 education accountability issues for nearly 20 years before taking over the food and dining beat in 2006.