Taco John’s® Welcomes Erik Hess and John Blankenship to its Board of Directors

CEO of Taco John’s Jim Creel announced today that the company has named Erik Hess and John Blankenship as the newest members of Taco John’s International’s Board of Directors.

“Erik and John are proven leaders in driving impressive results across several key areas of restaurant business,” Creel said. “Their experiences are primarily in the quick-service segment, so we have no doubt that their knowledge will add immense value to our company. We’re proud to welcome these two talented individuals as they help propel Taco John’s to even further success.”

Hess joins Taco John’s board with 30 years of experience in the restaurant industry. As an accomplished senior executive, he brings extensive global leadership experience in a wide variety of roles at McDonald’s Corporation to Taco John’s. Hess also most recently served as Focus Brands’ President of the Restaurant Category, where he led Moe’s Southwest Grill, McAlister’s Deli and Schlotzky’s brands, a portfolio consisting of 1,600 locations.

Another industry visionary, Blankenship’s 43-year experience spans both the corporate and franchise sides. He began working for Wendy’s International as an assistant manager in 1976 and worked his way up into various leadership roles such as area supervisor, regional franchise director and franchise area director. Most recently, Blankenship solely owned 15 Wendy’s restaurants as a franchisee for Wendco of Western PA, LLC before joining Taco John’s.

With its fusion of distinctive flavors and south-of-the-border spices, the Taco John’s menu offers several signature items, including Meat & Potato Burritos, Stuffed Grilled Tacos, Potato Olés® and bold and craveworthy Fried Chicken Tacos. Taco John’s features signature specials like Taco Tuesday®, discounted breakfast burritos on Wake Up Wednesday!® and the everyday $1-$2-$3 ValuEST Menu.

Taco John's is the 3rd largest Mexican QSR with a proven business model that has thrived for 56 years and is poised for growth. Don’t just add Mexican to your portfolio…add West-Mex!