Let’s taco ’bout it: New breakfast at Daily Grind

The Daily Grind Espresso Cafe is trying to add a new breakfast food to students’ morning routines.

Breakfast tacos sat beside regular muffin, scone and pastry offerings at the coffee shop Monday morning. The tacos include ingredients such as potatoes and eggs and are made with local vegetables.

“Most of our breakfast stuff is sweet stuff, so we haven’t really had a savory breakfast option until now,” said Simon McGorman, The Daily Grind’s general manager.

The coffee shop sells the tacos, from Raleigh-based company Taco Revolution, from 8 to 11 a.m. Monday through Friday. The tacos come in three varieties: chicken, pork sausage and veggie.

The tacos cost $3.65 each, regardless of meat.

“When we sampled them, they were a big hit with us,” McGorman said. “A lot of our employees who sampled them liked them.”

Daily Grind employee Lauren Wilson, who graduated from UNC and now works at the coffee shop full-time, agreed.

“We’re trying to push them as a breakfast food and not really as a lunch food,” she said.

Students can sample the tacos Wednesday from 8 to 10:30 a.m. at The Daily Grind. Taco Revolution representatives will also discuss the products and hand out tacos.

“I had four today. It was really the whole gamut. I had one chicken, one veggie and two sausage ones,” Daily Grind employee Will Bass said.

“I’m not sure how popular they’ll be, but they’re delicious.”

Taco Revolution owner David Marrow said he got the idea for the breakfast tacos while he lived and worked in Austin, Texas.

“I fell in love with the taco scene out there, specifically the breakfast taco scene,” Marrow said.

“I love breakfast food, and it was different than anything I’ve ever had. I’ve always thought they’d do well here in the area.”

Marrow called The Daily Grind two weeks ago to pitch his products and gave samples to employees.

“I figured the universities around the area would be good places to start because students grab something quick to go,” Marrow said.

Marrow sells his tacos with help from the Raleigh-based Cannon Catering Company. Taco Revolution, which started in 2015, sells through eight shops in Raleigh and Chapel Hill. Marrow said he hopes to eventually open a taco restaurant, but he saw businesses in Austin succeed after starting in coffee shops.

Taco sales began Monday at both locations of The Daily Grind: the main location next to the Pit and Friends’ Cafe in the Health Sciences Library.

Students can’t buy the new breakfast tacos after 11 a.m. because the food doesn’t stay in store.

“If they’re not sold by 11, we ask them to throw (the tacos) out,” Morris said. “We want them to always be fresh.”

Bass, a recent graduate of the University who now works at The Daily Grind full-time, said the tacos would always be served hot and fresh.

“They’re kept at 140 degrees, which is 10 degrees cooler than we serve our coffee,” Bass said.

university@dailytarheel.com