America was built on great ideas and with hard work, and as a Mexican-American, I like to consider the taco a tribute to that.
The taco might have been invented in Mexico, but America has taken it to a whole new level. That with food trucks, "fusion" restaurants putting their own spin on them, or at home concocting a taco while inebriated assembling all its parts from leftovers in the refrigerator.
This gave me an idea, why can't I make my own taco at a restaurant with food that people are done with and have no desire to take it home. I asked Yardhouse that exact question.
Enjoy.
Good Morning, YH.
I want to preface this by stating that I love your dining establishment. I always enjoy the food, beer and service.
I wanted to bounce an idea by you, or if I could get a secret passcode to allow me to order an item.
I was at your Brea location last Saturday with a group of friends. I noticed many of the group members didn't finish their plates. That saddened me.
It probably wasn't due to the food quality, I think they were full from libations. That is when it hit me: what if I can get all the items in a tortilla, and take a "garbage" (for the lack of a better term) burrito to-go? There was a plate with rice and beans, one with some lettuce, and another with meat. It would have been perfect!
I brought this up to the waitress, and even told her I'd pay $9 for the burrito. I hate wasting food, and I'm sure you do as well. So why not save the food, AND make some money on it.
That burrito would have been mighty tasty later that evening, or in the morning (to recover from my, ahem, "headache.")
Please let me know if I can get a green light from one of your locations for this, and pass along the passcode to use for this.
Like I said, I will pay for it. I just hate seeing good food go to waste.
Please consider this as a real request, this is not a joke.
I look forward to hearing back from you.
Thank you,
Jon
Guest Relations
10/18/13
Dear Mr. Castillo:
It is great knowing how much you enjoy dining at Yard House.
We understand how upsetting it can be to see food go to waste and appreciate your interest in having us offer a leftover-based taco to combat this.
While we cannot incorporate every idea or suggestion presented to us, we do have a recommendation that you may find acceptable. With your dining companion's permission, we would be happy to package up their leftovers for you.
We appreciate the time you took to contact us.
Sincerely,
Justin
Yard House Guest Relations
10/18/13
Thanks for the response, Justin!
But can I get a tortilla from the kitchen at a small cost to make the burrito? See, Wifey doesn't let me buy tortillas because she is #TeamNoCarbs so I can never make a burrito at home.
So I need to have a tortilla provided to me by your restaurant.
What is the cost of the tortilla, and is there an additional fee for a chef to wrap the burrito for me?
This makes me very happy.
Look forward to your response.
Regards,
Jon
Three Days Went By Without a Response, So I Followed Up With J-Man
Just wanted to follow up on this since I will be going again this weekend.
Here is my latest response that I am following up on:
But can I get a tortilla from the kitchen at a small cost to make the burrito? See, Wifey doesn't let me buy tortillas because she is #TeamNoCarbs so I can never make a burrito at home.
So I need to have a tortilla provided to me by your restaurant.
What is the cost of the tortilla, and is there an additional fee for a chef to wrap the burrito for me?
This makes me very happy.
Look forward to your response.
Thanks!
10/21/13
Dear Mr. Castillo:
Thank you for replying.
While we can not bring leftovers back into our kitchen, we would be able to provide you with some tortillas (pricing would need to be discussed with the management team there in Brea as we traditionally do not sell just the tortillas by themselves).
Please be aware, we only have one size tortilla and they are smaller, street taco sized.
We hope this information proves helpful and we look forward to serving you again soon.
Sincerely,
Justin
Yard House Guest Relations
10/21/13
Awesome, Justin!
Tacos are just as good as burritos! Final quest': do you know what brand of tortillas the restaurants use?
Also, I don't want to corner this just to Brea, as I visit the Costa Mesa one too. So they'd be down to sell me the tortillas as well, right?
Thanks again J-Man!
A follow up the next day
Afternoon, Justin.
Sorry, also do you know what kind of tortillas: corn or flour? Probably corn since they're street. But you never know.
And just following up,
do you know what brand of tortillas the restaurants use?
Also, I don't want to corner this just to Brea, as I visit the Costa Mesa one too. So they'd be down to sell me the tortillas as well, right?
Thank you,
Jon
10/22/13
Dear Mr. Castillo:
Thank you again for replying.
Any of our restaurant should be willing to do this for you.
I wish I could be more help regarding the brand of tortillas we use. Unfortunately, we would consider this proprietary information and can not share it. Sorry for any disappointment this may cause.
We can share that we offer both corn and flour.
We appreciate the time you took to contact us and look forward to serving you again soon.
Sincerely,
Justin
Yard House Guest Relations
10/22/13
Thanks man - no worries about the brand, totes understand!
I'll send you guys pictures of the creations I get from my "table tornado tacos." What a name, right? Maybe you can share with your team and create a cork board of my pics.
Stay shaka,
Jon
Sadly, to-date, I haven't made table tornado tacos, but I will in the near future and send them J-Man's way.
Although not a win, I am proud to know I have served the public to get an establishment to admit how awesome we are... and tacos. Mainly tacos.
