In this episode of Brave New Real Estate, we talk to restaurateur Dario Wolos about Tacombi, the Mexian eatery he first launched from the back of a VW van in Playa del Carmen. Tacombi has since expanded to 16 unique restaurants in the US, including New York, Miami and Washington, D.C., and boasts a fast growing CPG business. We'll discuss how COVID-19 affected his operations and outlook, how experiential restaurants can adapt to a takeout model, and what the lessons he learned from the pandemic might signal for the future of dining.
00:02:00 Tacombi origins and launch
00:05:30 Visual branding & restaurant design
00:07:50 Scaling place-specific authenticity
00:12:00 Building for a sense of place & community outreach
00:14:37 COVID-19’s impact on Tacombi
00:19:08 Productive adaptations post-pandemic
00:23:24 The ‘ghost kitchen’ model & customer experience
00:28:08 Experimentation in hospitality
00:31:30 In five years, what does success look like for Tacombi?
00:36:15 Plans for Tacombi expansion, new markets & places
Tacombi.com