where legends are made

Sarah Morrow – Taco Casa: The Superior Tex-Mex Restaurant in Tuscaloosa

  • June 14th, 2021

If you don’t live in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, then you’re probably not familiar with the most well-known Mexican restaurant in town, Taco Casa. With four locations in Tuscaloosa, two in Northport, and one in Birmingham, it is no surprise that natives of Tuscaloosa prefer this restaurant over the many other Tex-Mex places that Alabama has to offer. Most people across the nation don’t get to experience Taco Casa but instead rely on another famous Mexican fast-­food place, Taco Bell. People do not realize that they are missing out on the great-tasting food, amazing atmosphere, and overall experience that they can enjoy only at Taco Casa.

If there is one factor that explains why Taco Casa is simply the best, it would have to be the food itself. Taco Casa has a wide variety of simple Tex-Mex food, including tacos, sanchos, tostadas, chalupas, burritos, nachos, enchiladas, burgers, and even pizzas. Not only is there a wide variety of food, but it all comes at an affordable price. Each item on the menu ranges from about $1.54 to $7.14. As Taco Casa is considered a fast-food restaurant, customers get their food fast and don’t have to pay an outrageous amount of money for their lunch. Even though there is usually a line wrapped around the entire building, (what can I say, the people love the food), Taco Casa is known for “making your food hot and fresh” (“About Us”). There are no worries about being served a pre-made meal. If you are ordering inside, you can see that everything is made right behind the counter as soon as you order it. To top it all off, all of the food is “made from real, fresh ingredients” so you don’t have to worry about eating fake fast food (“About Us”). Other places, like Taco Bell, have been rumored to use fake meat in their tacos. Taco Bell also heats up the meat rather than cooking it hot and fresh like Taco Casa does.

The food at Taco Casa is pretty great, but another factor that makes Taco Casa so good is the atmosphere and service. If you ‘re like me and have lived in Tuscaloosa your entire life, you are more than likely to see someone you might know as soon as you walk into the restaurant. Even if you aren’t, it is likely you will see happy customers eating and may even receive a friendly smile from the cashier as you order your meal. The staff also makes sure to keep the restaurant as clean as possible to give customers the best quality service. The story of how Taco Casa came to be is also inspiring: The founder of the restaurant, Rod Wilkin, was an Alabama football player who pursued his dream of opening up a Mexican restaurant in Tuscaloosa.

“While playing football at Alabama, he learned the importance of hard work and dedication, and applied that to his goal of opening up Taco Casa. Since there were not many Mexican food places in Tuscaloosa, Taco Casa quickly became a landmark, and this is where many people ate their first taco” (“About Us”). Only a year after opening Taco Casa, Rod was diagnosed with cancer and was told he had only thirty days left to live. One night, he was awakened by the Lord and was fully healed. “From then on, Rod chose Jesus Christ to be the cornerstone of Taco Casa and owed all of his success to Him” (“About Us”). With this inspiring story of how Taco Casa came to be, it is no surprise that the atmosphere of the restaurant gives people a sense of happiness when they walk through the door. Each Taco Casa has a couple TVs that you can watch, fun music playing, and some even have toy claw machines for the kids. Whatever mood you may be in, Taco Casa always manages to make you feel better with its friendly atmosphere and service.

One of the biggest on-going debates that circulates in Tuscaloosa comes from a common question: which is better, Taco Casa or Taco Bell? Both restaurants have their own strengths and weaknesses, but through the years and my previous experiences at Taco Casa, it’s not hard to say that Taco Casa is superior to Taco Bell. Although there are instances where you can get sick from just about any food you eat, Taco Bell has had several cases concerning food poisoning and salmonella. Food poisoning has gotten so bad that “lawsuits dating back as early as 2020 detailed documented complaints of the meat or lettuce making customers sick. Over 150 customers in 21 different states around the U.S. filed reports” (Roddy). The CDC also discovered two separate strands of Salmonella linked to those who consumed food at Taco Bell (“Taco Bell implicated”). There was also another incident at Taco Bell that led to an E. coli outbreak in 2006. Although Taco Bell claims that they “take food quality and safety very seriously,” the company also claimed that the customers did not have actual proof that it was the restaurant’s fault. Instead, they blamed it on other things that could have caused it. (Roddy). Whatever the case may be, Taco Bell has had serious health safety concerns in the past. On the other hand, there has been no record of food poisoning, salmonella, or E. coli cases at Taco Casa thus far. However, since Taco Casa is not a nationwide fast-food chain Like Taco Bell is, there cannot be an assumption made for whether or not Taco Casa has made customers sick. There have also been discussions on how fresh Taco Bell’s ingredients are. There have been several lawsuits against Taco Bell, and an Alabama law firm claimed that there was only 36 percent actual beef in their taco meat (Kelly). Even though there isn’t explicit evidence to support this fact, it is safe to say that Taco Casa does not even compare to Taco Bell with its many health concerns.

Taco Casa has become a landmark in Tuscaloosa, because it serves great tasting, fresh, and affordable food while also providing amazing service to its customers. With so many options to choose from, customers don’t have to worry about the cost or how fresh the food is. Customers can walk in and immediately know that the employees care about them and want to make sure that they have the best experience while eating. There is also almost no worry about getting sick while eating the food as compared to Taco Bell. Don’t waste your time on Taco Bell when there is a much better alternative just down the street.

“About Us.” Taco Casa. https://www.tacocasa.com/. Accessed 10 Nov. 2020.

Kelly, Debra. “The truth about Taco Bell’s ‘seasoned beef’.” Mashed, 25 Jan. 2022, https://www.mashed.com/110654/truth-taco-bells-seasoned-beef/.

Roddy, Rachel. “Food Poisoning History with Taco Bell.” Guardian Liberty Voice, 6 Aug. 2014, https://guardianlv.com/2014/08/food-poisoning-history-with-taco-bell/. Accessed 10 Nov. 2020.

“Taco Bell implicated in two salmonella outbreaks sickening more than 150.” About Salmonella, Marler Clark: The Food Safety Law Firm, https://about­salmonella.com/salmonella_outbreaks/news/taco-bell-implicated-in-two-salmonella­outbreaks-sickening-more-than-150. Accessed 5 Nov. 2020.

Categories: Uncategorized

Sarah Morrow – Taco Casa: The Superior Tex-Mex Restaurant in Tuscaloosa

  • June 14th, 2021

If you don’t live in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, then you’re probably not familiar with the most well-known Mexican restaurant in town, Taco Casa. With four locations in Tuscaloosa, two in Northport, and one in Birmingham, it is no surprise that natives of Tuscaloosa prefer this restaurant over the many other Tex-Mex places that Alabama has to offer. Most people across the nation don’t get to experience Taco Casa but instead rely on another famous Mexican fast-­food place, Taco Bell. People do not realize that they are missing out on the great-tasting food, amazing atmosphere, and overall experience that they can enjoy only at Taco Casa.

If there is one factor that explains why Taco Casa is simply the best, it would have to be the food itself. Taco Casa has a wide variety of simple Tex-Mex food, including tacos, sanchos, tostadas, chalupas, burritos, nachos, enchiladas, burgers, and even pizzas. Not only is there a wide variety of food, but it all comes at an affordable price. Each item on the menu ranges from about $1.54 to $7.14. As Taco Casa is considered a fast-food restaurant, customers get their food fast and don’t have to pay an outrageous amount of money for their lunch. Even though there is usually a line wrapped around the entire building, (what can I say, the people love the food), Taco Casa is known for “making your food hot and fresh” (“About Us”). There are no worries about being served a pre-made meal. If you are ordering inside, you can see that everything is made right behind the counter as soon as you order it. To top it all off, all of the food is “made from real, fresh ingredients” so you don’t have to worry about eating fake fast food (“About Us”). Other places, like Taco Bell, have been rumored to use fake meat in their tacos. Taco Bell also heats up the meat rather than cooking it hot and fresh like Taco Casa does.

The food at Taco Casa is pretty great, but another factor that makes Taco Casa so good is the atmosphere and service. If you ‘re like me and have lived in Tuscaloosa your entire life, you are more than likely to see someone you might know as soon as you walk into the restaurant. Even if you aren’t, it is likely you will see happy customers eating and may even receive a friendly smile from the cashier as you order your meal. The staff also makes sure to keep the restaurant as clean as possible to give customers the best quality service. The story of how Taco Casa came to be is also inspiring: The founder of the restaurant, Rod Wilkin, was an Alabama football player who pursued his dream of opening up a Mexican restaurant in Tuscaloosa.

“While playing football at Alabama, he learned the importance of hard work and dedication, and applied that to his goal of opening up Taco Casa. Since there were not many Mexican food places in Tuscaloosa, Taco Casa quickly became a landmark, and this is where many people ate their first taco” (“About Us”). Only a year after opening Taco Casa, Rod was diagnosed with cancer and was told he had only thirty days left to live. One night, he was awakened by the Lord and was fully healed. “From then on, Rod chose Jesus Christ to be the cornerstone of Taco Casa and owed all of his success to Him” (“About Us”). With this inspiring story of how Taco Casa came to be, it is no surprise that the atmosphere of the restaurant gives people a sense of happiness when they walk through the door. Each Taco Casa has a couple TVs that you can watch, fun music playing, and some even have toy claw machines for the kids. Whatever mood you may be in, Taco Casa always manages to make you feel better with its friendly atmosphere and service.

One of the biggest on-going debates that circulates in Tuscaloosa comes from a common question: which is better, Taco Casa or Taco Bell? Both restaurants have their own strengths and weaknesses, but through the years and my previous experiences at Taco Casa, it’s not hard to say that Taco Casa is superior to Taco Bell. Although there are instances where you can get sick from just about any food you eat, Taco Bell has had several cases concerning food poisoning and salmonella. Food poisoning has gotten so bad that “lawsuits dating back as early as 2020 detailed documented complaints of the meat or lettuce making customers sick. Over 150 customers in 21 different states around the U.S. filed reports” (Roddy). The CDC also discovered two separate strands of Salmonella linked to those who consumed food at Taco Bell (“Taco Bell implicated”). There was also another incident at Taco Bell that led to an E. coli outbreak in 2006. Although Taco Bell claims that they “take food quality and safety very seriously,” the company also claimed that the customers did not have actual proof that it was the restaurant’s fault. Instead, they blamed it on other things that could have caused it. (Roddy). Whatever the case may be, Taco Bell has had serious health safety concerns in the past. On the other hand, there has been no record of food poisoning, salmonella, or E. coli cases at Taco Casa thus far. However, since Taco Casa is not a nationwide fast-food chain Like Taco Bell is, there cannot be an assumption made for whether or not Taco Casa has made customers sick. There have also been discussions on how fresh Taco Bell’s ingredients are. There have been several lawsuits against Taco Bell, and an Alabama law firm claimed that there was only 36 percent actual beef in their taco meat (Kelly). Even though there isn’t explicit evidence to support this fact, it is safe to say that Taco Casa does not even compare to Taco Bell with its many health concerns.

Taco Casa has become a landmark in Tuscaloosa, because it serves great tasting, fresh, and affordable food while also providing amazing service to its customers. With so many options to choose from, customers don’t have to worry about the cost or how fresh the food is. Customers can walk in and immediately know that the employees care about them and want to make sure that they have the best experience while eating. There is also almost no worry about getting sick while eating the food as compared to Taco Bell. Don’t waste your time on Taco Bell when there is a much better alternative just down the street.

“About Us.” Taco Casa. https://www.tacocasa.com/. Accessed 10 Nov. 2020.

Kelly, Debra. “The truth about Taco Bell’s ‘seasoned beef’.” Mashed, 25 Jan. 2022, https://www.mashed.com/110654/truth-taco-bells-seasoned-beef/.

Roddy, Rachel. “Food Poisoning History with Taco Bell.” Guardian Liberty Voice, 6 Aug. 2014, https://guardianlv.com/2014/08/food-poisoning-history-with-taco-bell/. Accessed 10 Nov. 2020.

“Taco Bell implicated in two salmonella outbreaks sickening more than 150.” About Salmonella, Marler Clark: The Food Safety Law Firm, https://about­salmonella.com/salmonella_outbreaks/news/taco-bell-implicated-in-two-salmonella­outbreaks-sickening-more-than-150. Accessed 5 Nov. 2020.