District Taco will open restaurants in McLean, Springfield soon

Updated at 1:55 p.m. on 7/24/2023 — Sadly for local taco lovers, a public relations representative for District Taco says the openings for its Springfield and McLean locations will be delayed. No new dates have been provided, beyond that the restaurants are “coming soon.”

Earlier: Fairfax County’s newest District Taco restaurants are almost ready to serve customers.

The regional chain will open a franchise at Old Keene Mill Shopping Center (8432 Old Keene Mill Road) in Springfield on Aug. 3, followed on Aug. 23 by a McLean franchise next to Lidl at 1330 Chain Bridge Road.

The openings will bring District Taco’s Virginia footprint up to eight stores. After starting as a food cart in Arlington, the company is in the midst of an expansion push “to keep up with the increasing demand for its concept,” it said in a press release.

Existing Fairfax County locations include Baileys Crossroads, Tysons, and near the Dunn Loring Metro station.

“We are thrilled that we can continue to expand our footprint in Northern Virginia and serve more communities surrounding the D.C. area,” District Taco Vice President of Franchise Development Tina Gantz said. “Now, with the two new locations, we can keep up with the high demand and enter two vibrant and growing communities. With our unique concept of serving fresh, healthy, and authentic ingredients, we are sure guests will love the new District Taco locations and the overall experience.”

The Springfield and McLean franchises are both owned by Hicham El Abbassi and Isalmou Boussaa, who entered the food service business “by investing in a single hamburger chain store” and now run 11 different franchises, according to the press release.

The pair are District Taco’s first franchisees. They partnered with the fast-casual Mexican restaurant in an effort “diversify their restaurant portfolio” and hope to add more locations in the future, the company said.

“I was truly inspired by the entrepreneurial story of District Taco’s founder, Osiris Hoil, and his pursuit of the American dream,” Boussaa said in a statement. “Hicham and I are living out our own American dreams by opening our two new District Taco locations and we are so excited to begin serving high-quality meals to the local Springfield and McLean communities.”

Based on Hoil’s family recipes, the menu features customizable tacos, burritos, rice and bean bowls, salads and quesadillas, including a couple of breakfast options.

With the Springfield and McLean openings, District Taco will have 16 total locations across Virginia, Maryland, D.C. and Pennsylvania. Co-founder Marc Wallace told FFXnow’s sister site, ARLnow, last year that the company hopes to expand in the mid-Atlantic region and potentially into the Midwest.