NEDERLAND, Texas — A new addition has been made to the Neches Restaurant Group, the managing company of multiple restaurant brands in Southeast Texas.
Taco Rey now joins Crown Pizza and Willy Burger as part of the restaurant lineup.
The award-winning, family-owned restaurant will bring their Tex-Mex favorites to the group along with 62 years of hometown service in Southeast Texas, according to a news release from the Neches Restaurant Group.
The addition of Nederland's Taco Rey gives the existing group of craft burgers and Neapolitan craft pizzas another flavor and footprint further south of Jefferson County.
In return, Taco Rey will gain more resources with a team of marketing and operations, added market reach, and growth opportunities under the umbrella of Neches Restaurant Group, according to the release.
Johnny Collazo, Jr., will remain owner of Taco Rey in the new partnership. He will also serve as managing partner and chief operations officer within the Neches Restaurant Group.
Taco Rey has been in the Collazo family for 60 years.
“I don’t take that lightly. So for me to join this group, it’s like sharing a part of my heart. And there’s no better match for Taco Rey than this group with Willy and Crown. I am blessed to work with good people with a shared vision,” Collazo said.
Owner and CEO of the group, Dallon James, has worked with Collazo in developing plans for the future food hall, Neches Point, according to the release.
James says he's excited to all be under one umbrella now and reassures everyone they're still family-owned.
"The family’s just bigger. Now, we get to pool our resources and have a full team working together for more efficiency,” James said.
The group is currently working to open Crown Pizza in Katy, Texas just across the street from Katy High School, according to the release.
They have also begun work on developing a new Tex-Mex street tacos restaurant, which would be called Taco Reyna.
“We have some amazing things we’re working on from test kitchens to branding, and we’ve seen good progress so far that’s encouraging,” Collazo says. “We have the best customers, and we want to serve them well, make them proud, and grow with us. So grab on tight and let’s get it.”
