After passing the million mark in sales of TacoStandUps in 2017, inventor Nick Dominguez, Lansing, Kan. is well on his way to his next million.
His invention has proved to be an important component for taco lovers throughout the world in keeping tacos upright and intact and avoiding the mess that horizontal tacos produce.
At 15 he worked a summer job at his aunt and uncle’s restaurant Casa De Tacos Mexican Restaurant in Kansas City, Kan.
“Uncle Dave’s tacos were delicioso,” Dominguez said. “That was my first encounter with ‘taco turnover’ and ‘the balancing act.’ We’d crumple a small piece of foil and position it on either side of our tacos to hold them upright as we carried them to the table.”
When his mother gave him a set of Tupperware taco holders years later he thought the design, which included a drip trough and a small lip on one side to hold the taco, while functional, could be enhanced.
He designed a holder that not only firmly supported each individual taco, the holders also could be joined together so that several tacos could be securely served together and clipped together or served individually.
“I thought the base might be used to accomplish this,” Dominguez said. “I drew some pictures, carved some out of wood and painted them red and green. Then, like a lot of folks who think up stuff to improve an existing product, I imagine, I tossed them in a drawer and forgot about them for a decade or so. I figured I’d do something with the idea one day when I got around to it.”
When in 2005 he decided to show his prototype to a friend whose company specializes in manufacturing and product development Dominguez thought at least his friend would get a chuckle out of it.
But his friend was impressed with the models and helped Dominguez get professional drawings, a real prototype and a manufacturer. After distributing them to his friends and friends of friends and getting positive feedback and support, in 2006, Dominguez was ready to launch his product.
“It all seemed feasible so I went for it,” Dominguez said. “I remember when the truck pulled up and unloaded the first 50,000 TacoStandUps. I thought, ‘what have I done!’”
In the last 14 years the products have made their way to all 50 states and 20 countries including Australia, Barbados, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Many restaurants around the world have purchased them and their feedback is that they are not only very durable, they also make the tacos look attractive on the plate. They also like the interlocking design.
Dominguez Innovations/TacoStandUp is growing steadily.
“Now that my wife Tammy is devoting more time and energy to the venture, I’m confident her creativity and input will contribute greatly in helping us reach our goals,” Dominguez said. “We’re just happy that TacoStandUps appeal to so many people and that we’ve made life a little easier for taco lovers.”
For more information contact Dominguez at (913) 727-5024 or email, nick@tacostanup.com.