COYO TACO

william webster

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Jan 16, 2009
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Anybody hear of this place ?

Newish type place.....
I have heard good things - never been there.

Any reports ??
 

ElVenao

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Mar 16, 2017
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Anybody hear of this place ?

Newish type place.....
I have heard good things - never been there.

Any reports ??

I have been there several times.

Apparently it is an American restaurant that franchised here in Santo Domingo. I believe the owners/franchisers are based off Miami and they were in town during the initial opening days of the restaurant. I have no idea who the franchisee is or how this restaurant is related to the original one.

Here is the webpage of Coyo Taco Miami:

http://coyo-taco.com/

They have locations in Brickell & Wynwood apparently.

From their About Us Section:

"Miami’s freshest Mexican street food experience.
At Coyo Taco, guacamole is smashed to order and tortillas are handcrafted on-site in an authentic Mexican tradition.
Vegetables are farm fresh and locally sourced. meat and seafood are naturally raised and humanely treated."

Now, regarding the local branch, here is my opinion:

The place seems very heartwarming. It has an outside open space with picnic-style tables and regular tables if I recall correctly and a small bar that serves their margaritas. They also have an indoor space with roughly 3-4 high tables with high chairs and 2-3 regular tables. This indoor space also contains the open kitchen where you can clearly watch how they prepare your food. I guesstimate the place can have an occupancy of about 50 people.

During the very first days the place was so packed (due to it being the hot topic of the area). I went and made a huge line and proceeded to order two orders of tacos (each order comes with two tacos), so 4 tacos in total. They prepare their own taco shells based off corn, the ingredients are fresh and blend in together in a harmonious way. The texture of the shells is very much to my liking although one of my friends despises it.

It doesn't feel completely authentic Mexican but it is closer than most of the Mexican (or Tex Mex you would say) places here in Santo Domingo. The tacos were really good and overall just based on food quality I would rate them about 7.75/10, which is fairly solid as I am strict with food assessment.

In terms of the price point for the food I would rate it very poorly, I find the price just a nod above what I consider a fair price for the food they provide. If I'm not mistaken correctly I paid very close to RD$800 pesos (ITBIS+10% included) for the 4 tacos and their size is fairly small. An average adult women (~115 pounds) would likely be full with the four tacos and an average adult male (~180 pounds) would very likely need to munch a quick snack to have a full dinner with these four tacos.

I subsequently went to Coyo Taco a couple of other times, after the huge lines faded and it started to get less popular. I tried their burrito, their quesadilla and some of their small plates: guac/chips, black bean bowl, rice, etc. The small plates are very fairly priced so there is value there however the main courses in my opinion are like the tacos, expensive for what they are.

The food is good, but with the price point I would reduce the rating from 7.75/10 to 6.85/10 which is still decent.

They now have started to offer specials for Tacos, I think it is called "Tuesday Tacos" and they have drastically lowered the price for the servings. You would pay around RD$500.00 for four tacos which to me seems slightly below fair price but not a huge bargain. They also have 2x1 in Margaritas on Tuesdays I believe.

I would recommend going on a Tuesday, otherwise I would just not recommend going there much on a non-Tuesday day. I'd say bring your family and try it for yourself.

I don't expect the business to flourish beyond long term sustainability unless they revamp some of their approaches. It is a good concept and has potential. Prices have to come down a little.
 
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william webster

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Jan 16, 2009
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Gracias elVenao...

Big report, I appreciate the time it took

I hear they are Canadian, the originators

Sounds like they need a page from Gordito's playbook.

Yes, Miami , Sto Domingo who knows where else?
 

JD Jones

Moderator:North Coast,Santo Domingo,SW Coast,Covid
Jan 7, 2016
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"I subsequently went to Coyo Taco a couple of other times, after the huge lines faded and it started to get less popular."

I remember when IHOP opened in Sambil.

First couple of weeks, they had a waiting line outside every morning of dozens of persons; after a couple of months, zero customers. Supposedly was the biggest opening sales of the entire chain.

Food was just as good as IHOP in the states, but the prices were ridiculous.

Same thing for Johnny Rockets. They build a HUGE store on Lincoln (The biggest of the chain too) with humongous line for a few months, ran out of steam, and ended up as a small booth at Sambil as well.

That lasted about a year, and poof - no more Johnny Rockets

And don't forget Cinnabon.

Started in Acropolis, moved to Blue Mall, then Sambil, then Poof!

Or how about Mrs. Fields? A few months - poof!

And how can we forget Dunkin Donuts? Also built a building (supposedly the largest- see a trend here?) I still get mad about those idiots and their stale donuts.
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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"I subsequently went to Coyo Taco a couple of other times, after the huge lines faded and it started to get less popular."

I remember when IHOP opened in Sambil.

First couple of weeks, they had a waiting line outside every morning of dozens of persons; after a couple of months, zero customers. Supposedly was the biggest opening sales of the entire chain.

Food was just as good as IHOP in the states, but the prices were ridiculous.

Same thing for Johnny Rockets. They build a HUGE store on Lincoln (The biggest of the chain too) with humongous line for a few months, ran out of steam, and ended up as a small booth at Sambil as well.

That lasted about a year, and poof - no more Johnny Rockets

And don't forget Cinnabon.

Started in Acropolis, moved to Blue Mall, then Sambil, then Poof!

Or how about Mrs. Fields? A few months - poof!

And how can we forget Dunkin Donuts? Also built a building (supposedly the largest- see a trend here?) I still get mad about those idiots and their stale donuts.
Sad about Johnny Rockets. I liked that place. Best chocolate malt I've had here.

Hooters didn't even last 90 days in Santiago, even in a prime location. We got there once.
 

JD Jones

Moderator:North Coast,Santo Domingo,SW Coast,Covid
Jan 7, 2016
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Hooters in Santiago....

Coal in Newcastle
Ice for Eskimos

Wrong market for flesh.... IMO


So true. Even SD Hooters doesn't do that great except during sporting events. And that's with Colombian girls for waiters.
 

cobraboy

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Jul 24, 2004
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Hooters in Santiago....

Coal in Newcastle
Ice for Eskimos

Wrong market for flesh.... IMO
You can see girls anywhere.

I love Hooter's wings, curly fried and oyster sammiches...

FWIW, the original Hooters is in Clearwater on Gulf-to-Bay. I kept the founder's airplane in my hanger. The original guys had nothing to do with all the other Hooters because they sold the rights to a franchise group. They knew their limitations, and made a pile of money not doing any heavy lifting. They did, however, use their flagship restaurant as the "test mule" for new concepts.
 

nrg2003

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Jul 25, 2017
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I live in Brickell, Miami and frequent the location in Wynwood.  Their original Wynwood location has a somewhat secret, beautiful bar in the back with a live DJ. The bar in the back is often frequented by popular artists like Major Lazor and Travis Scott. Their second location here in Brickell is restaurant only/no bar.  I'm sure their third location in Santo Domingo will be a hit! 
 

Russell

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Jun 17, 2017
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This is good information for the previous thread asking for advice on whether or not to invest in an American Franchise in RD.
I hope they read it!
Regardless of whom you are or what name the franchise carries price is the key. Value for the dollars /pesos spent is everything.

Big lineups at opening at fast food restaurants/franchises are basic what I call ''novelty sales''... the slow down and almost non existent sales I call ''reality sales''. I say again ''think like a Dominican, live like a Dominican and spend pesos like a Dominican.It is reality sales that pay the bills. it is not complicated. But this boom bust sales is not just because it is the RD.
In Yarmouth Nova Scotia we have all the big name FF Franchises. Recently a Mary Browns Fried Chicken opened ; for the first three weeks there were line ups around the block (Small Block ) after the ''Novelty sales'' period was over there was never a time when you had to line up for a feed of fried chicken..... Russell
 

Mcinbrass

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Jan 2, 2002
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You can see girls anywhere.

I love Hooter's wings, curly fried and oyster sammiches...

FWIW, the original Hooters is in Clearwater on Gulf-to-Bay. I kept the founder's airplane in my hanger. The original guys had nothing to do with all the other Hooters because they sold the rights to a franchise group. They knew their limitations, and made a pile of money not doing any heavy lifting. They did, however, use their flagship restaurant as the "test mule" for new concepts.

Hooters SD is a good place to watch sports as they will have most anything. Even Hockey which you are not going to find in any old colmado across the city.