Coming soon: More tacos in South End

Why it matters: This taco spot is entering the Charlotte market in an unconventional way. It’s starting out as a ghost kitchen.

• This is only step one of the brand’s initial expansion into the Charlotte market, co-founder Josh Luger tells Axios. Next steps will include establishing a brick-and-mortar presence, starting a food truck and possibly even opening in a food hall.
• Lugar says his team is currently in active discussions with multiple brick-and-mortar locations in the area. Customers could see a storefront location as early as Q1 of 2023.

What to expect: As far as menu offerings, there will be 13 core taco variations – all scratch-made and chef-curated. Luger describes the dining experience as “fast-casual-plus.”

• In addition to tacos, the menu will also have items like burritos and bowls.
• Capital Tacos will also have creative Tex-Mex dishes like mac and queso, epic nachos and crazy fries.
• “Expect the unexpected. There’s always something around the corner that’s unique and different,” Luger says.

Location: Capital Tacos will start out at CloudKitchen, a ghost kitchen located at 500 W. Summit Ave. in South End. “A majority of our sales are digital, so we think the model itself works really well for us,” Luger says.

Timeline: Luger and his team hope to open shop by the end of Q4.

Zoom out: Charlotte saw a significant rise in ghost kitchens, or takeout-only restaurants, throughout the pandemic.

• We reported on a ghost kitchen in West Charlotte called The City Kitch which provides food businesses with a commercial cooking facility without the upfront costs of a brick-and-mortar space or even a food truck.