He helped Chipotle launch in Minnesota, now he’s building his own taco empire

When Chipotle opened its first Minneapolis store in 1999, Margarito Martinez Torres was there. He spent a decade with the company, working as a supervisor at the Stadium Village location and leading kitchen trainings at new locations as the then-fledgling chain expanded across the Twin Cities. More than 25 years later, Martinez Torres is building a Mexican restaurant empire of his own. His fifth location of Que Taco ( quetacomn.com ) opens Saturday, Nov. 14, at 300 Snelling Av. in St. Paul. Martinez Torres has an ambitious plan to bring that number up to 10 in the coming years, blanketing the Twin Cities area with the food he grew up with in Puebla, Mexico. “I’m halfway so far,” Martinez Torres said. Advertisement The counter-service restaurant specializes in street tacos on corn tortillas handmade to order, alongside quesadillas, burritos and more. Que Taco has also become known for its 48-hour barbacoa marinade, and the new St. Paul restaurant, which takes over a former Starbucks, expands the menu with trompo-roasted meats. Picanha, which is popular in Brazilian steakhouses, and sirloin will rotate on a spit waiting to be hand-carved for tacos. The St. Paul Que Taco, which can seat 60, joins locations in Savage, Fridley, New Hope and Burnsville. A second New Hope location with the same name is owned by Martinez Torres’ brother. Martinez Torres came to the U.S. in 1993, and to Minneapolis in 1997. After his time at Chipotle, he continued working in Mexican and Tex-Mex chains, including Don Pablo’s and Cantina #1 at Mall of America. When that closed in 2018, he decided to start something of his own, opening the first Que Taco in Savage. The menu was largely built around fiery salsas and flavorful marinades that he learned from his mother. After years working for other companies, Que Taco is all about his family. “I need to show my food, my recipes, my culture,” Martinez Torres said.