General Mills is not getting into the restaurant business. But it did work with the LeBron James Family Foundation to bring Old El Paso Tex-Mex branding to a restaurant in Akron, Ohio.
General Mills, LeBron James foundation team up on taco restaurant
The Taco Shop by Old El Paso had its soft opening in Akron, Ohio, last month.
March 22, 2022 at 11:54AM
Golden Valley-based General Mills worked to bring its products to the one-off restaurant concept called the Taco Shop by Old El Paso.
"We're working together to bring all aspects of the brand into the restaurant and collaborating on the menu," said Maria Jaramillo, General Mills' business unit director for Old El Paso.
The brand started donating meal kits for Taco Tuesdays and other events at Akron's I Promise Village in 2020 to serve families in need. The foundation approached General Mills to sponsor the restaurant, which had its soft opening last month.
"Opening our own restaurant is a whole new territory for my foundation that I'm really excited about," LeBron James said in a news release. "What started as a weekly taco night for families living in our I Promise Village has grown into so much more."
The restaurant will provide job and financial training in addition to a community gathering space. It will open to the general public early next year, likely to coincide with the opening of the LeBron James Museum in the same complex.
"The grand opening is tied to House Three Thirty," the LeBron James Family Foundation's multi-use complex, Jaramillo said.
General Mills has ventured outside of packaged food in a number of ways over the years — including owning Red Lobster from 1970 to 1995. The Taco Shop by Old El Paso provides a unique opportunity to see the company's grocery store staples in a restaurant setting.
"We're able to get feedback on consumers and what they like, and see our products in action," Jaramillo said.
While the Old El Paso restaurant is a one-off initiative for now, Jaramillo said "we're always exploring new ways to bring the brand to life."
Introduced in 1938, Pillsbury bought Old El Paso in 1995. The brand joined the General Mills roster in 2001 when Pillsbury merged with its former rival.
Old El Paso has seen double-digit sales growth in recent years, Jaramillo said, and it is the leading Mexican food brand in Europe.
It has also seen "strong market share gains over the past three years" domestically, General Mills President of North American Retail Jon Nudi told investors in September.
Analysts expect General Mills to report a quarterly profit of $0.77 per share and $4.5 billion in sales on Wednesday.
Passenger volume at Rochester International Airport is down nearly 50% since the start of the pandemic as travelers migrate to MSP for cheaper flights without layovers.
