Taco Cabana® Celebrates Grand Opening of New San Antonio Location

New Restaurant and Market-wide Remodels Reinforce Company's On-going Commitment to its Hometown

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May 24, 2012, 10:00 ET

SAN ANTONIO, May 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- San Antonio-based Taco Cabana celebrates the opening of a new restaurant location at 1-10 and Ralph Fair Road. The location, which reflects the brand's recent evolution and draws on the ideas of fun and flavor with a relaxed patio vibe, is the first new location in San Antonio since July 2008. Its opening coincides with a year-long initiative to remodel all San Antonio restaurant locations that is already underway.

At the new restaurant, guests will enjoy a noticeably cleaner design with splashes of bold color, decorative estrella lights, 'papel picado' (iconic flags symbolizing a Mexican celebration) touches and eye-catching photography to reflect the contemporary, authentic Mexican culture that inspires Taco Cabana's focus on delivering the flavors of Mexico made fresh by hand.

Being the first new San Antonio location to open in nearly four years, it will give Taco Cabana a presence in one of the fastest growing areas of the city and will serve as a bridge between their restaurant at De Zavala/I-10 and their West Bandera Road/1-10 location in Boerne. The Ralph Fair Road location marks the chain's 42nd location in San Antonio.

"This is our hometown and we want to continue to grow with the city," said Todd Coerver, chief marketing officer at Taco Cabana. "Our roots began here and we'll continue to look at ways to reinvest in and reinforce our commitment to the community that has been so supportive of us over the years. This new restaurant is an example of the changes guests will see across San Antonio as we remodel and elevate our service offering."

Changes to Our Appearance and Service

In addition, Taco Cabana has announced plans to begin remodeling all of its San Antonio and Houston locations with completion slated for this time next year. In all remodeled restaurants, guests will still be treated to great tasting, high-quality, handmade food at an affordable price, but they will notice several significant cosmetic changes along with an elevated service offering.

Restaurant interiors are being updated with vivid colors, fresh new salsa bars, contemporary wood furniture, flat screen televisions and free Wi-Fi. The TC patio is also getting a makeover with new seating, updated patio covers and new sun screens featuring 'papel picado' flags fashioned from laser-cut metal.

Beyond the restaurant presentation, Taco Cabana is also making significant changes to the guest experience by upgrading its service in the newly remodeled locations. The enhancements include:

The addition of table-service from a hostess who delivers orders rather than guests having to return to the counter to pick up their food;
Complimentary chips offered to each guest to enjoy with selections from the fresh salsa bar as they wait for their food.

"The changes we are making to our restaurants are designed to contemporize and enhance the guest experience while continuing to provide great handmade Mexican food at an affordable price," said Coerver. "Every strong heritage brand must be willing to periodically reinvigorate itself to continue to meet the evolving needs of today's consumer. With these efforts and the response we've been getting, we are certainly excited about the future at Taco Cabana."

Grand Opening Festivities

Fans from the area are invited to join Taco Cabana as they celebrate the Grand Opening on Thursday, May 24 from 4 – 7 p.m. The event will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony, giveaways, video games for kids and live music by Latin guitar player David Aman. Attendees will be treated to samples of their favorite TC menu items and also be entered in to a drawing to win free TC for a year.

Executives from Taco Cabana including, Tim Taft, chief executive officer and president of Fiesta Restaurant Group, Michael Biviano, Taco Cabana's chief operating officer and Todd Coerver, chief marketing officer, will kick-off festivities at 4:00 p.m. with the ribbon cutting.

Dignitaries from the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, including Richard Perez, president and CEO, will also be in attendance.

About Taco Cabana®: The Flavors of Mexico

In 1978, Taco Cabana began as a taco stand in San Antonio, with the unique recipes and ingredients that reflect our rich Mexican culture and food. With more than 156 restaurants in 3 states, Taco Cabana continues to redefine the Mexican fast-casual dining experience through ongoing menu and service enhancements. We are committed to providing our guests the true flavors of Mexico, served up in a relaxing, patio cafe environment. From our kitchens' daily fresh-made tortillas and handmade salsas to our flame-grilled fajitas and refreshing tequila margaritas, our commitment to quality lives on, making Taco Cabana one of the region's most enduring and beloved Mexican food brands. Connect with us on Facebook and Twitter for offers and updates from Taco Cabana or for more information, please visit www.tacocabana.com.

About Fiesta Restaurant Group

Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. owns and operates the Pollo Tropical(R) and Taco Cabana(R) restaurant brands with 243 company-owned and operated restaurants and 38 franchised restaurants in the U.S., Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Cost Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Trinidad and Venezuela. The brands specialize in the operation of fast-casual, ethnic restaurant brands that offer distinct and unique flavors with a broad appeal at a compelling value. Both brands feature made-from-scratch cooking, fresh salsa bars, and drive-thru service and catering. Fiesta common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol FRGI. For more information about Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc. visit the company's website at www.frgi.com.

SOURCE Taco Cabana