About
In 1949, restaurant owners Jim and Margaret Knudson went to a
friend's home for dinner where they ate their first taco. Jim was
so convinced that this tasty product would have a universal
appeal that he began to develop his own recipe. Jim soon added
the new item to the menu at his restaurant “Jimmy's 49er Cafe”
in Grass Valley, California. He admits that his customers were
less than enthusiastic about trying this new “TAYCO”, but he was
determined to give his unique new product his best effort.
In 1954, Jim and Margaret converted a 16-foot trailer into a
mobile kitchen. A long-time customer had given Jim the
nickname “Jimboy,” and so the words “Jimboy's Spanish Tacos”
were painted on the sides of the trailer. The word Spanish was
added in an attempt to help customers understand how to
pronouce the word taco and, as Jimboy puts it, “it seemed like a
good idea at the time.”
That summer, the couple towed their newly converted trailer up
to King's Beach, Lake Tahoe. The response was a bit
underwhelming that first year, but Jim and Margaret persisted in
their efforts and soon people could not get enough of their
tacos.
In the Spring of 1958, Joe King (owner of King's Beach) built a
small building on North Tahoe Blvd. for the sole purpose of
giving Jimboy's a more permanent home. The word “Spanish”
was dropped from the name and the very first Jimboy's Tacos
location was born. Soon, new items were developed and added
to the menu, all bearing the unique and distinct flavor that was
making Jimboy's Tacos more and more popular.
That little taco stand became a favorite of locals and tourists
alike and was building quite a reputation. Due to its proximity to
the casinos just over the Nevada state line, some very famous
celebrities soon became regular customers. Members of the
famous “Rat Pack” such as Dean Martin, Joey Bishop and Peter
Lawford were often seen enjoying tacos. Even a young Wayne
Newton often appeared at the counter to place his order. The
cast of the hit TV series Bonanza (filmed nearby) were also big
fans of Jimboy's as Dan Blocker, Lorne Green and Michael Landon
all made trips to King's Beach for tacos.
No longer needed at King's Beach, the taco trailer was moved
down to the Denio's Auction Yard in Roseville, California and
began selling tacos on the weekends during the fall & winter
months. In 1961, a permanent taco stand was opened and today,
though not in that same small taco stand, the Knudson family is
still selling tacos during the busy weekends at Denio's.
In the years that followed, another location was opened in
downtown Sacramento, California and shortly after, in 1965,
Jimboy began franchising and the Jimboy's Tacos phenomenon
grew. Although Jimboy is no longer actively involved in
operations today, he is still very much interested in the style and
quality of food that he has developed over the years. As the
number of Jimboy's Tacos locations continues to increase, our
menu still reflects the distinct and authentic Mexican style food
of which we are very proud. Many have tried and many continue
to try duplicating our recipes and this is a testament to the
quality and taste that has become synonymous with our name.
Yet, while so many other restaurants create their food and
recipes around trends and gimmicks, Jimboy's Tacos is unique
for the simple fact that our food tastes great and always has.