Before the first taco is served, there’s already been at least one coffee, three alarms ignored, and a silent promise to “go to bed earlier tonight.” Welcome to a typical morning at TacoTime. We stopped by our Clarkston Taco Time bright and early to see what really goes on before the doors open, and let’s just say, there is a lot happening before your burrito ever makes it to your hands.
First up, we ran into Keven, our new manager up at Moscow TacoTime, who’s finishing up training down here. Lucky for us, we caught him mid blade swap, getting the shredder ready for the thicker cheeses. Important work as cheese does not shred itself.
As we journeyed farther into the kitchen (dodging boxes, steam, and at least one “behind you!”), we found Zach stirring up a batch of our house-made enchilada sauce. While multitasking like a true morning prep pro, sauce bubbling, beef cooking, he told us that his 6 a.m. routine always starts with cutting green onions and tomatoes. Because nothing says “good morning” like immediately crying over onions.
Then we ran into Robin, who has been part of the Taco Time family for nearly 40 years (yes, forty). When we asked her favorite part of morning prep, she didn’t hesitate: “It’s all made fresh, that’s the cool part. The lettuce is shredded here, the burritos are rolled, we do it all. I love it.” And she wasn’t kidding. While we were there, burritos were being hand-rolled, taco shells and tostada bowls were frying to crispy perfection, and ranches and salsas were being portioned, capped, and labeled like a well-oiled (and very delicious) machine. Even the Crustos were coming out golden and ready for action.
Robin also gave us the inside scoop on one of our most beloved items: the ranch. Every single morning, 20 quarts of Happy Day Ranch are made fresh in-house and packed up for each of you. That’s a lot of ranch… and somehow, still never enough. Meanwhile, beans are simmering. Rice is cooking. Seasoned meat hits the skillet and starts doing what it does best. Lettuce is shredded fresh (yes, actually shredded fresh). Cheese is piled high. Tomatoes and onions are diced for salsas that don’t come from a bag.
It’s easy to forget how much happens before that first burrito is sold, but that early-morning prep is truly what keeps TacoTime consistent, fresh, and a Valley favorite year after year. So next time you grab breakfast or lunch, just know, a whole team of very awake (and very caffeinated) humans made it happen just for you.
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