Gordo Taqueria is making the jump from California to Middle Tennessee, with plans to make its first out-of-state debut in Nashville. The spot is in the permitting process for an 1,800-square-foot space at 515 Merritt Ave. in Wedgewood-Houston.
Owner Manuel Hernandez told What Now Nashville that his son Tony, who manages the stores, was interested in expanding to the Nashville market and growing there.
“My son goes out there often,” Hernandez said. “We just felt that we could bring our food out there and expand, hopefully [to] bigger than one store [in Nashville]. Like anything else, you don’t know until after you start. For now, we’re going to open one store, see how the welcome is. We think it’ll be fine. Our food has been around for over 40 years and we’ve had no issues.”
Hernandez opened the taqueria’s first location in 1977. Since then, the chain expanded to five locations throughout the San Francisco Bay area. It serves Mexican cuisine include burritos, tacos and quesadillas. Hernandez said their burritos are their bestsellers.
The timeline is still unclear for the Nashville location as they await permits and construction. He also plans to spend about a month training employees prior to opening in Nashville to ensure they are ready to launch in the new market.
“I’ve been the main guy since inception in ’78, so I’m going to do all the training,” Hernandez said. “My son runs all the stores, so he’ll be hands-on after I get everything set.”
