A vegetarian taco joint is taking Grand Electric’s place on Queen West

The popular spot's new concept aims to be more socially responsible

The city’s favourite taqueria is going vegetarian. After over a year at their Trinity Bellwoods location, Grand Electric will be closing in November and transforming into a vegetarian and juice bar concept they are calling Tacos Rico.

As an immediate response to the climate rallies this week, the restaurateurs took to Instagram to announce they were ready to be more socially responsible in the restaurant industry and do their part to make a change. 

“Beef taco night with your family at home isn’t a big deal, beef taco night in a packed dining room for 12 hours a day is a HUGE deal. That’s 60lbs of beef a day,” said owners Colin Tooke and Ian McGrenaghan in the post. 

The team at Grand Electric has always been conscious of sustainability and ethical food sourcing, but admitted in their post that what they’re doing is not enough in the grand scheme of things. “We have sourced free-range livestock, ensured our meat is antibiotic free, yet done absolutely nothing to address the root problem — our restaurants are a non-stop dinner party, where 90 per cent of the menu is meat and fish,” they said. 

They also addressed the closure of Electric Mud, commenting that the closure of the divey Parkdale BBQ was also due to environmental impact. 

The dramatic concept switch is said to initiate sometime in mid-November with Tooke and McGrenaghan at the foreground advocating for change in the industry and in the way diners dine out. “The science is clear: a massive reduction in meat consumption is essential to mitigate climate change. Meat production is responsible for almost 15 per cent of greenhouse gas globally.” 

That being said, the two are not suggesting we give up meat altogether, as their Parkdale location will remain open and go on serving what the restaurateurs consider, “the city’s best fish tacos.” But, they do hope that Tacos Rico will electrify the city with great food and encourage a more mindful consumer base, as well as provide a restaurant in the city that is, in fact, better for the environment.

“While closing a wildly successful business for an unproven concept might seem drastic, we like to refer to this unattributed quote: ‘If you want something you’ve never had, you have to do something you’ve never done.’” The new concept will exist in the same space at 923 Queen St. W. Read more of their Instagram post below. 

 

 

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