The Tacombi Foundation Brings Their Team and Community Together Over Taco Plates

Tacombi is a growing restaurant group with locations across the East Coast that aims to share the flavors and spirit of Mexico with diners in the U.S. Not only are Tacombi taquerias powered by the Toast platform, but The Tacombi Foundation is also a recipient of funding from Toast through Mi Gente, Toast’s Employee Resource Group for Latinx and Hispanic Employees

Since 2020, The Tacombi Foundation has operated a network of Tacombi Community Kitchens that work with partners to distribute meals to communities in need. In honor of Latin American History Month, we spoke with Executive Director of The Tacombi Foundation, Susana Camarena, to hear the how The Tacombi Foundation has grown and how they plan to continue to support and empower the Mexican community.

Tacombi is a popular taqueria that serves mouth-watering tacos in New York, Maryland, Virginia, Illinois, and Florida. Built on a mission to preserve and share the flavors of Mexico in the United States, founder Dario Wolos also knew it would be important to serve Mexican communities in the U.S. whose culture inspired the restaurant.

“As he [Dario Wolos] always says, the idea of sharing Mexico through the taco culture and Mexican products and Mexican hospitality, it's something that we're borrowing from the Mexican community and the Mexican people and culture,” said Susana Camarena, Executive Director of the Tacombi Foundation. “We didn't invent that, and so by sharing that and using that for the business, it is our responsibility to give back to Mexico and the Mexican communities.”  

Before formally starting the Tacombi Foundation, Tacombi was already working to support social impact work in Mexico. Following the 2017 Chiapas earthquake that impacted Oaxaca and the surrounding area , Tacombi teamed up with other vendors and brands to raise funds for those affected and help rebuild schools and houses. 

More than Just a Taco Plate

Along with a team of volunteers (which has included enthusiastic Toasters on more than one occasion!), each restaurant is tasked with creating hundreds of meals that are distributed through community partners to food pantries, soup kitchens, and even community fridges. The Tacombi Community Kitchen has created a rotating menu that includes protein and veggies, and even the same taco plate you can order right off their menu.

“What is very special is that these meals are produced specifically for this purpose, to feed people facing hunger, not the leftovers at the end of the day,” said Camarena. “We prepare these meals with this purpose, and the ingredients and quality are held to the same standards as for our guests at the taquerias, which is also something that we care about a lot.”

For the team, supporting the Tacombi Foundation helps make working there more meaningful, and is one of the reasons Tacombi has been able to build a happy, long-tenured staff. In a recent survey of over 300 staff members, it found the majority of their team loved participating in the program.

“Obviously it's work on top of what everybody is doing, but it has also been a way to share what the Tacombi brand stands for, and it has actually been a tool for recruitment and retention,” said Camarena. “When people work at a place that is not just about making money but also serving the community, it's a whole different story.”

Working Together to Achieve “Something Awesome”

In addition to providing volunteers to help make those meals, Toast has been able to help Tacombi restaurants support this work through Toast’s Fundraising. In spring 2024, Tacombi has used this feature to help power its Cinco de Mayo fundraiser which, along with other fundraising initiatives at the restaurant, helped raise thousands of dollars to support The Tacombi Foundation's meal programs.

“We’ve established a great relationship with Toast.org and it’s only the beginning,” said Camarena. “We're a young organization, the future is bright, but we can’t do things alone. We need partners—we do what we do best, but we know we can have a greater impact if we collaborate.”

Susana Camarena is the Executive Director of The Tacombi Foundation, leading the restaurant group’s philanthropic and social impact efforts. You can connect with her on LinkedIn

Learn more about The Tacombi Foundation on their website.

Learn more about Tacombi, or find one of their taquerias on their website.

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