Taco fans may be pleasantly surprised by the new location for a famous taqueria in a gas station, according to Dallas Culture Map.
Fuel City opened in late December in Wylie at 1800 N. SH-78, bringing its tacos to a whole new location.
But this location will differ significantly from Fuel City’s other locations in that it will feature an in-house bar with more than 20 beers on tap, including the attractive option of having beer to go in growler and crowler formats.
According to Thompson Island Brewing, “A growler is a 32- or 64-ounce airtight beer vessel made of glass that functions like a small keg” that helps “preserve the beer’s flavor and ensure that you have a tap-worthy beer upon opening.”
“A crowler is, essentially, a growler in a can. It’s a 32-ounce aluminum vessel meant to keep your favorite beers fresh until you decide to drink it. It opens the same way you’d crack open a regular beer can. The filling process for the crowler improves upon the growler in that it removes all oxygen from the container.”
Joseph Bickman, CEO of Fuel City, said he wants to make each location distinct.
“For example, in our Haltom City location, we introduced daiquiris,” Bickman said. “We try to iterate each location so it’s different from the next.”
Fuel City was founded by entrepreneur John Benda, Bickman’s father-in-law, in 1995. The original location, off I-35 in downtown Dallas, quickly became a tourist attraction because of the longhorn cattle and other animals on the premises.
Since then, there have been a total of eight locations for Fuel City.
“We’ve also added a pizza purveyor, and this is first time we have a growler bar that allows customers to take any of our beers on tap to go,” Bickman said.
The new Wylie location has a drive-through as well as on-site dining, both indoor and outdoor.
“Between indoor and outdoor, we have 60-70 seats,” Bickman said. “So, you could come and get a pizza, tacos, and a cold beer.”
The Wylie location is also equipped with a 10,000-square-foot gas station, according to The Wylie News, and a convenience store.
The new general manager of the store, Yvonne Rogers, said the business is expected to create at least 85 full-time jobs.
“Typically, we are very busy upon opening, and with a soft opening we can make sure everything is operating up to the Fuel City standard,” Rogers said.
