Johnny Beam put Moose Jaw on the map at this year’s annual Taco Time summit in Vancouver, thanks to his hard work and novel efforts in promoting the franchise.
In recognition of this, he was presented with the company’s Trailblazer Award. This award recognizes his groundbreaking work in promoting the brand and spreading awareness.
“For me, it’s all about the Taco Revolution,” said Beam, who is the franchisee for Taco Time in Moose Jaw. “I want people to have tacos, and I want people to experience what Taco Time is all about. It’s a great brand, a great product, and the food is fresh. Everything about it makes me happy.”
Last year, in 2022, he won the company’s award for innovation, and this year he’s done it again.
This year’s award was earned by the creative way that Beam promotes the business. “We stand out more than any other Taco Time, and they recognize that,” he explained.
At the 2023 Vancouver summit, the president of Taco Time recognized his efforts, and so did the president of MTY Food Group Inc., which owns more than 70 popular brand names including Taco Time and others like Mr. Sub. At their request, Beam earned a two-page spread in the company’s publication.
“I’m the one the franchise wants to follow to see how you can run Taco Time and have a food trailer on the side,” Beam said, adding that the company now looks to him for promotional guidance.
Beam said he couldn’t have done it without the help from his hard-working team, led by store manager Ashley. It is their dedication that allows him to hit the open road to spread news of the brand.
Beam is promoting what he calls the Taco Revolution. “I want people to taste what we’re making, to understand what it is, the food, and the Taco Time name,” he explained.
“If you don’t like a taco, I don’t know man, I don’t know if I trust you,” he said with a laugh.
To help spread word of the Taco Revolution, Beam purchased an enclosed trailer and set it up to serve food on the road. “Our food trailer is the only one in Canada right now,” Beam confirmed.
Beam explained how someone from a small community will now recognize the Taco Time brand and want to eat there when they visit a larger centre. “It helps all the franchisees in Saskatchewan,” he said, noting that he was approached by at least one other franchisee in Vancouver who said they have a new loyal customer thanks to Beam’s visit to Southey, Sask.
His Small-Town Taco Tour brings delicious food and brand awareness to communities without access to tacos, and that’s exactly how he earned the Trailblazer Award. So far, Beam said he has visited 23 small Saskatchewan communities and reception has been extremely positive.
“Lipton, Sask. is my most memorable town. It’s a town of about 600 people, and I sold out my trailer there. I can hold a lot of food in that trailer! They were coming from half an hour away… I killed it, all day,” he said. The community was so excited to learn about his visit that they built a large sign right in the middle of Main Street, and he’s since been invited back.
“For me, it’s all about the people. I’m bringing them something they don’t have, and when they finished, I have more than 90 per cent say, ‘that was fantastic, I’m so glad you came, can you come again?’ The happiness right there — that’s enough for me,” Beam stated. “It just makes me happy that people are getting tacos and it’s one of those things in my life that makes me happy.”
And he’s planning to do it all over again next year.
For next year’s tour, Beam said he plans to step it up a notch and expand into neighbouring provinces and travel as far as Parksville, B.C. in April. “We might get the taco revolution started a bit early next year,” he said, noting that he can get a head start thanks to the warmer climate.
He’s also been asked by the franchisor to help promote the brand in southern Ontario, where Taco Time hasn’t been established yet. Next year there are three locations scheduled to open, and Beam is planning to take his trailer to Ajax, Trenton, and Welland, Ont.
“You could never ask for a bigger billboard than having me go up and down the highways all over Saskatchewan,” he added.
The mobile service can be booked for anything from weddings to hometown fairs to random stops in communities without access to Mexican cuisine.
“We might be in a town near you,” Beam said.
Beam’s small-town tour is fully booked until the end of October and starting in November he’ll be taking bookings for his spring tour. To request a visit, he can be reached by calling the store or through email at [email protected].
The store is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day of the week except Sundays when it closes at 8 p.m.
Taco Time is located at 204 Manitoba Street West and can be reached at 306-692-9292.
In response to some providers blocking access to Canadian news on their platforms, our website, MooseJawToday.com will continue to be your source for hyper-local Moose Jaw news. Bookmark MooseJawToday.com and sign up for our free online newsletter to read the latest local developments.
