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In a heavily saturated, Mexican-style fast-casual restaurant market, the team behind El Jefe’s Taqueria knew there was at least one way to stand out.
“We ‘freed the guac,’” says Jon Eller, director of operations for El Jefe’s, which opened its first location in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 2015. The restaurant does not charge extra for guacamole, unlike many other Mexican establishments at the same price point. “Free the Guac” has since become one of El Jefe’s much-beloved slogans, by employees and patrons alike.
Honest, clear-cut pricing has been central to El Jefe’s brand from the very beginning. “We decided that we didn’t want any hidden prices,” Eller says. “So, if you want shrimp, or chicken, or pork, everything will all be the same price in the end. The only time we charge extra is when people want double of certain portions.” Thus, their second slogan was inspired: “Extras Aren't Extra.”
In an era when fees can add up to astronomically priced “casual” meals, this approach has gone far to keep a loyal customer base. One El Jefe’s location quickly became many more. The brand has expanded into New Jersey and Pennsylvania with eight total stores. Their upcoming ninth location will be a commissary-style space (with a storefront) to accommodate the large-scale production of their famously tender marinated meats and recipes that use only fresh ingredients. Everything, Eller notes, has long been made from scratch.
The finishing touch to El Jefe’s success has been to stay open when people want them to be open. Particularly in Massachusetts, this means offering food at hours when many other businesses are closed. The Harvard Square location serves diners until four in the morning, a Bay State rarity. El Jefe’s is one of few restaurants to serve food from 8 a.m. (breakfast runs until 11) until 4 a.m. (at some, though not all, locations).
The brand has of course experienced its fair share of challenges. Just five years after El Jefe’s launched, COVID-19 threatened to unravel everything they’d built. “Every day, we had to change and recreate and come up with a better system that works,” Eller says.
But those challenges turned into opportunities — in fact, most of El Jefe’s expansion took place during the pandemic. “We took that chance,” Eller says. And in the end, they succeeded. In such a scary, confusing time, El Jefe’s deliciously fun food and straightforward pricing cut through the noise.
As for what the future holds, Eller says it remains a bit of a mystery. “After this next location, we’ll have some time to sit down and really think of what we’re going to do for the next five, 10 years,” he says. “And which way we’re going to grow.”
PHOTO CREDIT: Sarah Ceniceros Gomez
