Eat All About It: Buoyed by Taco Crawl success, Tacos Palomino eyes Road 68

A year ago, before Pasco’s first-ever Taco Crawl brought a flood of new customers to her restaurant, Connie Palomino was at a crossroads.

Tacos Palomino, the restaurant she operates with husband Alex, was nearing its 10th anniversary. She wondered if she was fulfilling her purpose in life and even considered leaving the business to complete college. But customers gave her clarity when they raved about her taco-oriented menu.

“My customers gave me my purpose, to stay at the restaurant and keep growing it,” she said.

Tacos Palominos participated in the inaugural Taco Crawl in 2016 and was a hit with participants. It joined the crawl again in 2017 and was named the people’s choice winner. The two-week Pasco Taco concluded May 8.

Last year’s winner, Tacos La Esperanza, tied for second with newcomer Taqueria El Tacoyote.

“I am pretty blessed,” Palomino sad. “I am humbled and blessed to receive that prize.”

Like most of the 20 vendors who participate in Taco Crawl, Tacos Palomino has no budget for marketing. Vendors pay nothing to be included in event but do receive $1 for every taco they serve to crawlers.

The inaugural crawl in 2016 sold out its run of 500 books of vouchers.

Buoyed by that success, organizers printed 750 books this year. It sold out to, said Craig Maloney, who leads the feisty group of volunteers who manage the growing event.

The 2017 crawl generated $7,000 for the Boys and Girls Club of Benton & Franklin Counties.

Maloney said he’s overwhelmed by the popularity of the event, created to showcase Pasco to visitors.

Two-thirds of books are sold to non-Pasco residents. Many are from the Tri-Cities but a healthy number hail from Seattle and as far as Texas. The Mexican Consulate in Seattle sent a representative to the this year’s kickoff in late April.

Maloney said the founders decided the best way to showcase Pasco was to serve food and encourage exploration of downtown and east Pasco, areas most Tri-Citians seldom visit.

Maloney said Taco Crawl is turning one-time visitors into regulars. 2016 participants reported revenue increased 10 to 15 percent and stayed high after the crawl ended.

“So many people just needed to be invited into Pasco,” Maloney said.

Palomino confirmed the Taco Crawl bounce in her restaurant.

“We are getting so much new traffic,” she said.

Palomino and her husband both come from dining-related families. His parents ran a taco truck and her’s ran a restaurant.

The couple operated the family taco truck in the first year of their marriage, but always wanted to offer similar cuisine in a restaurant setting. Tacos Palomino celebrated its 10th anniversary this year at 1515 N. Fourth Ave.

After wondering about her purpose a year ago, Palomino said she’s committed to expanding her brand. A lifelong Pasco residents, she’s watched Road 68 develop with a sense of wonder — and opportunity. The couple want to open a second restaurant there.

“They’re lacking taco-style food over there on that side of town,” she said, adding, “It’s all in God’s hands.”

New owners for local Arby’s

United States Beef Corp., a Tulsa, Okla-based company that operates more than 350 Arby’s franchises, has expanded into Central Washington with the purchase of 10 locations from two franchisees.

The company purchased Arby’s locations in the Tri-Cities as well as Yakima, Moses Lake and Coeur d’Alene and Hayden in Idaho. The franchises were previously owned by Richard Riva of Cascade Beef Inc. and Riva Real Estate LLC, and by Deana Harris of 3 Rivers Road Beef.

Walter Clore Center tours

Learn about the history of Washington’s wine industry at a series of guided tours of the Walter Clore Wine and Culinary Center’s new visual history project May 13.

Tours will begin every hour starting at noon at the Prosser wine center, 2140A Wine Country Road, Prosser.. Tours are complimentary. Register online at theclorecenter.org.

This story was originally published May 9, 2017 at 5:25 PM with the headline "Eat All About It: Buoyed by Taco Crawl success, Tacos Palomino eyes Road 68."