The latest incarnation of Taco Maker is the Mexican Grill. The first such restaurant opened in late 2004 in Las Vegas. It allows customers to move quickly through lines as their favorite food elements are added (think Subway).

"We've asked people about what they consider a good amount of time (for food preparation)," Krolak said. "Some people believe 3 1/2 minutes is a good period of time. We shoot for 90 seconds, because people don't have a lot of time."

Growth on the horizon

As for its financial history, well, Taco Maker, like many privately held companies, keeps that information close to the vest. "I can tell you that our numbers are up," Krolak said. "They're up consistently every year."

And the corporation, which owns only five restaurants in the chain, is looking to increase the number of outlets. It has 24 restaurants in the Utah/Southern Idaho region and wants to "fill in some gaps" there and perhaps get more people owning multiple outlets. Ditto for the country as a whole.

"You buy one outlet, you bought a job. And you're totally dependent upon yourself, so if you believe in yourself and work, you'll have a successful job," he said. "But you buy two or three or four, you have a business.

"I get calls every day," he said of interest from potential franchisees. "I get e-mail leads from new construction, outlets, new malls, even local malls, saying, 'We know your concept and it would go well here.' Some are looking to fill space, but others are saying they have everything else but need good Mexican food."

A free-standing Taco Maker/Jake's restaurant in Carol Stream, Ill., opened in March, and Krolak said he is working with 12 other people who want to open stores in that area. And Puerto Rico, where the 93rd store recently opened, will have more than 100 by the end of this year.

"We have more than 140 outlets now, and we're looking to double our number within the next five years," he said of the company's overall total. "We have 30 new projects on our boards now.

"There are so many more people in Puerto Rico that are looking to get involved that they are looking for spaces in Florida — in Miami and Orlando and Tampa — where there's a large Puerto Rican population."

But Krolak said the company needs to "grow smart." It doesn't want stores "right on top of each other" and wants to ensure that franchisees are right for the job.

"We're dealing with people throughout the world right now, but we're not the type of company to just take the money and run," Krolak said.

"We want to be sure we have the right person, that they have food service experience, and not just the financial capability of building a restaurant. Anybody can do that, but that's our name on the board."

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E-mail: bwallace@desnews.com