Taco John's vs Wahoo's Fish Taco's Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Taco John's vs Wahoo's Fish Taco's including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Taco John's Franchise
Wahoo's Fish Taco's Franchise
Investment $475,000 - $1,599,000$540,000 - $715,000
Franchise Fee $25,000$25,000 - $30,000
Royalty Fee 5%5%
Advertising Fee 4%2% local
Year Founded 1968-
Year Franchised 1969-
Term Of Agreement 20 years+10+10+10-
Term Of Agreement 20 years+10+10+10-
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Taco John's Franchise
Wahoo's Fish Taco's Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
  • We prefer applicants who have restaurant experience as well as multi-unit experience. Depending on some other factors, we will consider applicants who have other types of multi-unit retail experience.

    Financing Options

     
    Taco John's Franchise
    Wahoo's Fish Taco's Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/Yes-/-
    Start-up Costs No/Yes-/-
    Equipment No/Yes-/-
    Inventory No/Yes-/-
    Receivables No/No-/-
    Payroll No/No-/-

    Training & Support

     
    Taco John's Franchise
    Wahoo's Fish Taco's Franchise
    Training --
    Support Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives-
    Marketing Co-op advertising, Ad slicks-
    Operations 37% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 15

    Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (75% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

    -

    Expansion Plans

     
    Taco John's Franchise
    Wahoo's Fish Taco's Franchise
    US Expansion Yes-
    Canada Expansion No-
    International Expansion No-

    Company Overviews

    About Taco John's

    The story of Taco John's sounds more like a legend than the history of a business. In Cheyenne, Wyoming, a man named Juan opened a tiny taco house, serving uniquely seasoned and generously sized tacos and burritos. An immediate hit with the locals, the taco house was quickly purchased by local businessmen Harold Holmes and Jim Woodson in 1969. Renamed Taco John's, it began selling franchises right away and now has restaurants across America. The privately held company is still based in Cheyenne.

    "Entrepreneur

    #115 in Franchise 500 for 2020.
    #315 in Franchise 500 for 2021.


    About Wahoo's Fish Taco's

    In 1988, the Wahoo brothers decided to import the fish taco to Orange County, California, and give it a unique twist. They combined the fish taco with their Brazilian favorites and Asian inspired items. The brothers decorated the original restaurant with the donations of near-by surf companies and that's how Wahoo's Fish Taco was born. Wahoo's then quickly developed a loyal and steady following, to where some locals came in daily and servers automatically knew what their customer would order. In 1990, Steve Karfaridis, joined as a partner and the one location in Costa Mesa rapidly developed into multi-locations in Laguna Beach and Huntington Beach. Today you will find over 50 locations of Wahoo's all throughout California and Colorado, including Texas and Hawaii. We are looking for franchisees who have the experience and financial resources to develop an area of at least 3-5 stores.
    Wahoo's Fish Taco's initial franchise fee is $35,000 (and just $27,5000 for each additional store)