Frank’s Taco Grill, photo by Carol Toler.
Today, Francisco “Frank” Salinas is making a leap of faith.
The Lake Highlands dad has never owned a restaurant before, but he logged plenty of hours working in restaurants during his high school and college years. He and his family are opening Frank’s Taco Grill in the old Joe Willy’s space on Greenville near Park Lane. If you pop in, you’re likely to see wife, Claudia, and their three kids working behind the counter or cleaning up in the kitchen. Their daughters will be in grades 6 and 11, and their son, Socrates, who went to state with the Wildcat wrestling team, will attend SMU in the fall as a National Hispanic Recognition Scholar.
“We’re doing different presentations of tacos – rolled tacos, classic tacos, taco wraps, taco bowls,” Frank told me Friday as we toured the new store proudly. Fresh-faced employees nibbled tacos they’d made to practice on each other. The restaurant was shiny and ready for customers.
“We’re focusing a great deal on working people,” said Salinas. “We’ll be open for breakfast at 7 a.m., and you can pre-order by phone or online so you can pick up and go, you don’t have to stand in line. The convenience factor is a big thing. When you have kids, you get tired of fast food, but then you go to restaurants, and you find you’re paying too much. We’re shooting to be there in the middle – better than fast food but price points that aren’t going to break you.
“Today is our soft opening – our employees are still mastering the cash registers and all that – and we’ll do a grand opening in a couple of weeks. We’re going to be offering catering also, and we’ve reached out to our schools and firefighters nearby.”
Frank’s has a Facebook page and their menu can be viewed on their website here.
Inside Frank’s, photo by Carol Toler.
Frank’s Taco Grill, from their Facebook page
