How a Little Taco Shop Became an International Hit
Coyo Taco's Scott Linquist shares the journey from Miami to Medellin and beyond
Miami is fast becoming one of the most expensive cities in the United States, filled with tech bros and con artists with deep pockets who come for the tax breaks and sunshine. U.S. News Real Estate states Miami is only behind Hartford, Connecticut and Los Angeles in living expenses, with the average rent in Miami coming in at just under $3,000.
Ten years ago, however, it was another story. Back in 2015, Miami was just on the cusp of popularity, with neighborhoods still vastly affordable by many standards. That included Wynwood, a once-industrial area that was quickly building a name for itself as the city’s artistic center because of its art galleries, indie restaurants, and graffiti art that was painted by some of the biggest names of that genre.
In December 2014, chef Scott Linquist and partners Sven Vogtland and Alan Drummond opened up a small taco shop in the Wynwood neighborhood right on its main street.
Taco shops aren’t anything new, but what set Coyo Taco apart was its ethos of offering freshly made food at a budget price. When Coyo opened, Linquist had more than 20 years of experience, including serving as national executive chef of Dos Caminos Mexican Kitchen and executive chef at Border Grill, co-owned by Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger. The chef had also written a book, Mod Mex: Cooking Vibrant Flavors at Home. Linquist took those skills and, instead of high-end food, made tacos with the same care. The little taco shop hand made its corn tortillas and salsas daily, along with everything else.
If that wasn’t enough, Coyo Taco opened a Mexican-themed speakeasy behind the restaurant, making it the culinary version of a mullet: fresh tacos in the front and mezcal and a DJ in the back.
The restaurant was a hit with locals and club kids who would wait in line for sometimes up to an hour for tacos.
The partners also had great marketing strategies and set out to make its logo into something of a lifestyle brand. Once again, Miami lapped that up, and the Coyo Taco name became as easily spotted as Gucci on the backs of Miamians. The restaurant reached new levels of notoriety when celebrities came calling.
Instead of the usual Miami political pit stop at Cuban restaurant Versailles, President Barack Obama chose to drop in for some tacos and guacamole in 2018. Soccer superstar David Beckham, Miami Heat’s Dwayne Wade, and actor Will Smith all dropped in. During Art Basel, the little taco shop’s back doop became the hottest spot in town to hear performers like Diplo and Travis Scott perform impromptu sets.
The partners opened several additional locations in Florida but never really thought of expanding internationally until a bit of serendipity happened. “It was people coming to Miami, eating at Coyo, and then wanting us to open in their city,” confesses Scott Linquist, who said the first international Coyo was in Santo Domingo. Locations in Lisbon, Panama, and Medellin followed, as did a Paris restaurant (which opened during COVID and closed in 2023).
Linquist says to this day, he receives emails around the world from people asking to bring a Coyo Taco to their city. “It happens all the time, to this day. From Poland to Tokyo to Australia, we get messages from people saying that they want us to open a Coyo Taco. We don’t come to them, people come to us.”
Despite the interest, Linquist says there’s much talk and investigating before a new Coyo Taco opens. “We scrutinize a lot. We can’t have some dude say he’s a lawyer and wants to open a Coyo Taco.” The chef/partner cites the new Lisbon restaurant as an example. “The group that came to us is the second largest restaurant group in the city. They have everything from a franchise concept to Michelin-starred restaurants. That’s our partner there.”
Linquist says the partners are looking to expand to London, possibly open additional locations in Medellin, and would love to look for another opportunity in Paris. “It was amazing going to Paris on the regular,” quips Linquist.
At the end of the day, no matter how many locations Coyo Taco opens, Linquist wants to make sure the food is consistent with the flagship concept. “We still do everything from scratch. We do all our sauces and marinades. We still hand press all of our tortillas in the store.”
With inflation, Linquist says maintaining a quality product for a reasonable amount of money is a balancing act, but it’s what he subscribes to. “Inflation — especially in Miami — is a killer. You’re looking at a 20 to 30 percent increase in the cost of goods. Labor and insurance costs are out of control. How do you maintain a quick service concept that’s there for everyone from the local school kids to celebrities?”
Linquist has no magic bullet.
“The real answer is you don’t,” he shares. “We keep diminishing our bottom line because you just can’t keep raising prices. If our costs go up 30 percent, we can’t add five bucks to every taco. Once you raise the prices to the point where you’re out of reach, you lose the sale. Lose the sale or lose the profits — it’s a catch-22. We decided to keep the prices moderate and reasonable.”
The answer for Coyo’s partners? Expand out of the cities where rent is astronomical and start to grow in suburbs and bedroom communities that aren’t as expensive and saturated. “There are a lot of communities where there are plenty of people that you can capture with a concept like Coyo and not spend $2 million on a buildout.”
So, with London, Medellin, and (possibly) Paris on the horizon, where’s the next place Linquist has his eyes on for Coyo Taco? “I’ve always said Cleveland is where Coyo needs to be.”
a really interesting article, Laine. Thank you.