The Flores family behind Tucson’s legendary El Charro restaurants and the sassy sister Sir Veza’s Taco Garage is making inroads into Southern California.
Last week, 50 Southern California 7-Eleven stores started selling Carlotta’s Kitchen specialty burritos as part of a test run that could lead to adding more stores and possibly expanding the line, said El Charro President Ray Flores . The half-pound burritos, made using matriarch Carlotta Flores’ recipes, sell for $2.49.
Ray Flores said the idea to offer a line of ready-to-eat burritos at convenience stores came to him after watching QuikTrip stores’ rapid introduction and expansion into Tucson over the past couple of years. One of the cornerstones of the QuikTrip chain is its restaurant quality, made-to-order foods.
“If restaurants are going to have this competition, if they are coming into our world, why not go into their world?” Flores said.
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Carlotta’s Kitchen burritos come in beef and chicken with black beans and white rice. They are packaged in a cardboard cone that makes it easier to eat on the go.
Flores spent this holiday weekend in California visiting 7-Eleven stores that carry the burritos. He stopped in a few stores Friday — in between taking his kids to LegoLand — and said store employees said sales were going well and customer response was positive.
“People really like them. They say, ‘Hey, it’s a real burrito,’” he said.
Southern California is home to 800 7-Eleven stores, Flores said. If the test run goes well, Carlotta’s Kitchen burritos could be put in additional stores, he said.
In addition to its Tucson restaurants, the Flores family has Hecho en Vegas, an upscale Mexican restaurant in the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas; and a Sir Veza’s outpost at Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix.
Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@azstarnet.com or 573-4642.
Cathalena E. Burch
Reporter
