Staff members at the West 6th Street location.

Owner, Leigh Ann Laster

Congratulations on being voted the “Best of Lawrence”! How does it feel to receive this recognition from the community?

Owner, Leigh Ann Laster: It’s such a great recognition realizing the community enjoys our tater tots or as we call them, Potato Olés just as much as we do. There are a lot of taco places in town, but only one with Potato Olés.

Staff members at the Haskell Avenue location.

What do you believe sets your business apart?

With Taco John’s being in Lawrence for over 50 years it has become a staple. Many customers visit from neighboring towns just to go to Taco John’s. Taco John’s is also the home of the original Taco Tuesday and puts a focus on fresh ingredients like fresh ground beef and taco shells and chips that are fried in store daily.

Can you provide a brief overview of your business’s history, including its founding, initial goals and how it has evolved over the years?

Taco John’s opened it’s first location in Lawrence in 1974. The original owner was my Dad, Ken Creasey. He continued to go on and open more locations in Lawrence and other places. He retired in December of 2018 and then I fully took over the two Lawrence locations

We have come a long way in the last 50 years. The original one here in town was in a little trailer and was once named the ugliest building in town by the newspaper. We recently just remodeled both of our locations to a bigger, bolder, better look.

Community support is crucial. How do you engage with the local community, and how has this engagement impacted your success?

We concentrate on engaging with local schools. Each month we hold a dine out fundraiser for a different school donating a percentage of our sales during the fundraiser. This donation goes to the PTO and and they use it to support the students and teachers. We also provide meals for the teachers throughout the school year. This year we also held a team dinner for the LHS basketball team.

Each year we also partner with Family Promise during the holiday season. We offer our Nachos Navidad during this time and 25% of those sales go to Family Promise.

Taco John’s located on West 6th Street.

Could you share an example of how your business has embraced innovation to stay ahead of the curve?

Right before covid we added mobile ordering and delivery. This couldn’t have come at a better time. Currently we offer online ordering for pick up or delivery right from our app. This makes it super easy to get your Taco John’s wherever you are in town!

Are there any upcoming projects, events, or initiatives that you’re excited about and would like the community to know?

Taco John’s recently just added catering. We currently offer Build-Your-Own Taco and Nacho Bars or if you are looking for Breakfast, we offer Breakfast Boxes or a Build-Your-Own Breakfast Bar. This can be ordered right from the Taco Johns’ website or through ezcater and then delivered right to you. Great options for a party or office breakfast or lunch.

Also with Cinco de Mayo coming up, Taco John’s is always a great way to celebrate. This year we will be offering 5 Crispy Beef Tacos for $5.55 May 1st-5th in store.

Taco John’s at the Haskell Avenue location.

The “Best of Lawrence” title often indicates a commitment to excellence in customer service. How do you ensure that every customer has a positive experience with your business?

There are many restaurant options in Lawrence, so we aim to provide a positive customer experience during visits. We try to get on a first name basis with many of our customers and have a lot of regulars that stop in multiple times per week sometimes daily.