Taco John's has added Sarah McAloon, a franchise marketing veteran with more than 30 years of QSR leadership experience, to its Board of Directors, the 324-unit Mexican quick-service chain confirmed July 29.
McAloon's résumé reads like a tour of major franchise turnaround situations. Most recently, she served as Chief Administrative Officer and Interim Brand President of Del Taco, guiding the brand through its acquisition by Jack in the Box and the chain's subsequent sale. Before that, she held the presidency of Café Express and the chief marketing officer role at both CiCi's Pizza and Sbarro. Earlier in her career she spent roughly a decade at Pizza Hut in marketing and national media leadership, contributing to growth initiatives across the brand's U.S. and international operations.
What She Brings
For Taco John's, the appointment is as much about franchise system alignment as brand building. Heather Neary, President and CEO of Taco John's, framed the addition in those terms directly: "She brings valuable insights into brand building, franchising, consumer engagement, and business transformation that will help inform our strategic direction and support sustainable growth for the company and our franchisees."
McAloon's background in steering brands through ownership transitions and restructuring is particularly relevant for a regional QSR operating in a competitive Mexican foodservice segment dominated by larger national players. Her work at Del Taco — a direct category competitor — gives her firsthand knowledge of the unit economics, franchise relations challenges, and consumer positioning decisions that define success in West-Mex and Mexican-inspired QSR. Operators and prospective multi-unit franchisees watching QSR franchise development trends will note that board-level hires with this depth of franchise-system experience often signal a brand preparing for an accelerated growth phase.
Franchise Growth Context
Taco John's currently operates 324 locations across 21 states, with stated growth priorities in the Upper Midwest and Rocky Mountain regions. The brand's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document reports an average unit volume of $1,889,495 for the top 25% of freestanding restaurants with drive-thru — a figure the company is actively promoting to prospective franchisees.
The chain, founded in 1969 in Cheyenne, Wyoming, competes in the Mexican QSR segment on a "West-Mex" positioning built around made-to-order items, house-made Pico de Gallo, and in-store-fried tortilla chips and corn shells. Its Taco Bravo was named best fast food taco in America in the USA Today 10Best Readers' Choice 2025 Awards, a consumer-facing credential the brand has leaned on in franchise marketing.
McAloon's board seat adds experienced franchise-marketing firepower at a time when regional QSR chains are increasingly competing with better-capitalized national players for both customer attention and multi-unit operator interest. For industry observers tracking franchise leadership and boardroom strategy, the move underscores a broader trend of regional chains recruiting C-suite veterans from larger franchise systems to accelerate growth without the overhead of a full executive hire.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
