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Taco Bueno
Bueno Means Better

Service
Visual Identity, Branding
Client
Taco Bueno
Agency
Pocket Made
Technology
Figma, WordPress

The
Brand

Re-energizing a legacy Tex-Mex favorite through fresh strategy, storytelling, and design.

Born in 1967 and proudly headquartered in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, Taco Bueno has long been a Tex-Mex staple with over 160 locations across the Southwest. Their food was fresh and flavorful but their brand story had gone stale. The challenge? To modernize how “fresh” could feel in a fast-casual world, without losing the authentic, handcrafted vibe customers loved.

The
Challenge

Years of chasing competitors’ marketing trends had left Taco Bueno sounding like everyone else. Our task was to:

  • Distill thousands of pages of research into a clear, actionable brand strategy.
  • Reconnect Taco Bueno’s messaging and visuals to what mattered most: real ingredients, made fresh every day.
  • Craft a platform that could flex across OOH, digital, email, social, and in-store campaigns.

Through user testing, we discovered a key truth: customers didn’t need “new.” They needed “real.” Taco Bueno’s edge wasn’t speed it was sincerity.

What
We Did

Strategy + Positioning

  • Built a refreshed messaging platform centered on “Made Fresh Daily” authenticity.
  • Developed new voice pillars balancing humor, honesty, and hunger appeal.
  • Re-established brand guardrails to prevent future “trend drift.”

Visual & Content System

Through user testing, we discovered a key truth: customers didn’t need “new.” They needed “real.” Taco Bueno’s edge wasn’t speed it was sincerity.

  • OOH & Billboard Campaigns: “Making our first batch of guacamole 6:47 AM.” A real-time glimpse of freshness, displayed in city skylines.
  • Digital & Interactive: Created the viral #Shellfies social campaign celebrating people’s “better taco moments.”
  • Email Experience: Designed witty, crave-worthy layouts (“We want to fill your stomach, not your inbox.”).
  • Website + Microsite: Featured “The Bean Cam” a live stream proving Taco Bueno’s beans come from real beans, not a can.
  • Retail + Print Collateral: In-store menu boards and promotional cards built around bold typography, texture, and authenticity cues.

The
Results

  • 147% increase in engagement across interactive ads and social activations.
  • 3% lift in check growth within the 12 test restaurants.
  • Significant uptick in user sentiment around “fresh,” “authentic,” and “made from scratch.”
  • A revitalized identity system that reignited both internal pride and external appetite.

Visual & Content System

Through user testing, we discovered a key truth: customers didn’t need “new.” They needed “real.” Taco Bueno’s edge wasn’t speed it was sincerity.

Project
Highlights

  • Social Campaign: #Shellfies → User-generated content surge
  • OOH: “6:47 AM Guacamole” billboard → Authenticity storytelling
  • Website Feature: Live Bean Cam → Transparency as engagement
  • Email Marketing: Conversational design → Retention + delight

The
Takeaway

This rebrand wasn’t just about tacos it was about trust, truth, and texture. Taco Bueno rediscovered its “why,” and with it, its flavor.

Because when you make food with real ingredients, the story practically writes itself you just have to serve it fresh.

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