Taco Time Northwest renames ‘Mexi-Fries’ to ‘Tater-Fries’ after backlash

A Facebook post from December 10 was when eagle-eyed fans noticed the change after a photo of the Mexi-Fries was posted but the text read #TaterFries.

https://rumble.com/embed/v1z6o2e/?pub=2n05b

In 2020, Reddit users noticed that the company changed the menu item Mexi-Platters to Fiesta Platters.

The official account of the company responded to fans’ complaints on Facebook about the Mexi-Fries name change saying, "Thanks for asking. After talking to our employees and receiving some guest feedback on how they felt about the name, our leadership decided it was time for a change."

"Nothing has or will change other than the name. Our Tater-Fries are still the same great tasty side that you’ve come to know and love. We hope you understand why we’ve made this decision and we appreciate your continued support."

The company did not elaborate on the specific feedback received from employees or guests and did not respond to requests for comment.

Mexi-Fries and Mexi-Platters have also been scrubbed from the Taco Time Northwest website and replaced with Tater-fries and Fiesta Platters.

The move was seen as presumptive as there has been no public controversy regarding the name of the menu items.

One Western Washington-based Taco Time fan told The Post Millennial, "My wife is Mexican, neither she nor anyone we know in her family has ever been offended by Mexi-Fries."

The Western Washington Taco Time franchises split off from the national chain in 1979, and the national Taco Time website still maintains the original name of Mexi-Fries, leading many to question if this was just the local company’s attempt to appear "woke."

However, the company’s website still celebrates the original Western Washington franchise owner Frank Tonkin Sr. who passed away in 2020. Tonkin was white, "hunted and fished, owned racehorses and belonged to Fairwood and Rainier country clubs," and was "active" in the Republican Party, according to The Seattle Times.

According to the company’s website, "Having owned restaurants since the 1930s, he (Tonkin) figured in 1960 that the area was ready for something new - say, a cafe selling fast, fresh, mild-flavored tacos with salsa on the side. That gamble established a foothold for Mexican-American fast food throughout the region."

"Hearing of the success of new Mexican fast-food franchises in Eugene and Tacoma in 1960 and 1961, Mr. Tonkin founded the Seattle area's first Taco Time in White Center in 1962. He opened a Taco Time at Alki Point with his son Jim in 1963. Then he sold Tonkin's Cafe and converted Bif's to a Taco Time."