The local team behind fast-casual chain Oscar’s Taco Shop is cooking up a new concept to introduce to the Nashville community. The Salty Burrito is heading to 2115 Belcourt Ave.
Co-owner Enrique Ruiz told What Now Nashville that the new spot, like Oscar’s Taco Shop, will serve Southern California-inspired Mexican cuisine, made fresh and in-house. The “salty” name is also a nod to the family brand’s California roots.
“We saw there’s not a lot of Mexican food around,” Ruiz said. “We have schools, hospitals and everything around [that area] so I think it’ll be a good fit for it.”
The new spot will have some similarities to Oscar’s, featuring both new menu items and items from the Oscar’s menu. However, The Salty Burrito will have more of a sit-down casual feel to it rather than being strictly fast-casual.
“We’re trying to get away from the styrofoam and put it down to a more sit-down [model] with a salsa bar and other goodies,” Ruiz said.
Ruiz said they are planning to start construction next week, and they are targeting a January 2025 opening, though it will depend on how renovations progress.
Ruiz’s family has been in the restaurant industry since the 1980s, when his father opened a taco shop in California. They opened Oscar’s Taco Shop in Tennessee in 2003. Now, the family business has 17 locations across Tennessee, Arizona and Alabama, according to the Oscar’s Taco Shop website.
The Salty Burrito will be an expansion of the family brand and will usher in a new era for the family.
“We’ve been in the business for over 30 years. My dad started in California,” Ruiz said. “Now I have two of my own siblings that want to get into it too, so that’s why we decided to go with a different name and start something new.”
